Chapter 17
Pakistan Shows its Hand continues...

From his talk it was clear that he was suggesting immediate accession of the State to Pakistan and that if this was not agreed to, there was bound to be trouble. He told me that I should advise the Maharaja to settle the terms of accession of the State to Pakistan and that I should give him my word that after due consideration, my advise would be to that effect. After a good deal of discussion, I told Major Shah that I was prepared to seriously consider this question and after due consideration give such advice as I thought proper, keeping an open mind on the question whether accession of the State to Pakistan would be more beneficial than its accession to India. As a condition precedent to this consideration, I told him that the blockade must end and the lorries waiting entry to the State and stopped at Kohala and Sialkot should be allowed to proceed. He thought my request was reasonable but said that be would find out from Mr. Jinnah who was in Lahore whether he was agreable to this course. He accordingly sent him a telegram. But Mr. Jinnah was not prepared to raise the blockade till the matter of accession was decided. When Major Shah saw me again in the afternoon, he conveyed to me Mr. Jinnah’s message, that for the discussion on the question of accession, I should visit Lahore. I was in no mood to present myself at Jinnah’s Darbar in Lahore to discuss this or any other matter. I declined the invitation as its object was to coerce me into securing the State’s accession to Pakistan. Towards the close of the interview, the attitude of Major Shah became a bit aggressive and he told me that my refusal to decide the question of accession immediately might result in serious consequences. When he said that, I blurted out that a threat of that kind would throw the State into the lap of India!


to be continued....

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