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A copy& paste of the page published in The Hindu in 1947.
PAKISTAN CONSTITUENT
ASSEMBLY
MR. JINNAH ELECTED PRESIDENT
UNANIMOUSLY
ASSURANCE TO MINORITY
COMMUNITIES
A promise of equal citizenship to all in Pakistan, irrespective of
caste, creed or colour, was given by Mr. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, President
of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly on Monday. Mr. Jinnah
was replying to the congratulations offered to him by his own
party leaders and Opposition leaders on his unanimous election to
the Presidentship.
Mr. Jinnah asked the minorities in particular to bury the hatchet
and work in a spirit of co-operation and assured them of equal
rights, privileges and obligations.
MR. JINNAH'S APPEAL FOR
CO-OPERATION
(mOM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
KARACHI, Aug. 11.
"Justice, fairplay, and complete impartiality
In the discharge of my duties will
be my guiding principles", declared
Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah today,
addressing the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly after his unopposed election as
its President. Mr. Jogendranath Mandal,
who as the temporary Chairman of the
House, announced Mr. Jinnah's election,
vacated his seat and, amidst great acclamation
from all sections of the Assembly,
Mr. Jiftnah took the chair.
Speakers from all sides then felicitated
the President on his election. Mr.
Liaqat Ali Khan, speaking first, hoped
that under Mr. Jinnah's dual role as
Governor-General and President Of the
Constituent Assembly, Pakistan, the
fifth largest nation in the world, would
become powerful and participate in
world councils. Mr. Kiran Shanker Roy,
Leader of the Congress Party, offering
responsive co-operation from the minorities,
declared that partition having
come to stay, they would wholeheartedly
throw in their lot in the affairs of the
State and share the vicissitudes of the
nation. Mr. J, N. Mandal, who said he
was speaking on behalf of the Scheduled
Castes in Pakistan, assured the unstinted
loyalty of his community and
added they would demand more and
more tights and privileges until they
were on a par with other communities
in regard to all platters.
Mr. Jinhah's address to the Assembly
was listened to in pin-drop silence by
the House. Though he stated that he was
.not prepared to make any authoritative
statement at the present moment, his
forty-minutes' speech disclosed two immediate
objectives: firstly maintenance
of law atfd order with a strong hand
without fear or favour and secondly a
ruthless war on bribery, corruption, nepotism
and black-marketing.
FELICITATIONS TO
MR JINNAH
KARACHI, Aug. il.
Mr. Jinnah was unanimously elected
President of the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly this morning (adds the
Associated Press of India).
Mr. Jinnah was led amid cheers to the
presidential chair by Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan and Safdar Abdur Rab Nishtar.
Congratulatory speeches were then
made by Muslim "League and Congress
members.
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan was the first to
congratulate Mr. Jinnah. He taid it
Was With the greatest pride that h4
rose to congratulate him on his election
as the President of the CohstitUefit
Assembly of Pakistan.
Mf. Liaqat Ali Khan continued: "You
have been fightly described as the"
architect of Pakistan and it is a great
fortune for us to haVi you as the President
of this tovefeigh body, and 1
feel sure that you will guide us to our
destiny through your devotion, untiring
zeal, selfless sefVlCie and unshakable
determination. At one constantly associated
with you for ov« eleven years,
can say with truthfulness bnd honesty
that the creation Of this State Of Pakistan
it mainly, if not entirely, due to
youf service." (Cheers').
"It is indeed fin ufiparalleiled event
in the history of the world that without
bloodshed, Without going through i
bloody revolution, a State Which is the
fifth largest in the World should eom*
into being. It il most fortunate that We
will continue to have your guidance
and assistance in building up this structure
of the future state of Pakistan."
"By y6ur election as President of
this sovereign body you will be having
the dual capacity of tiot only being
the head o» the Assembly but also thd
head of the State. 1 am Confident that
you will, while discharging your onerous
duties, be guided by the indexible
honesty which you possess. 1 have fievef
found you WaVBrnng even at tht most
difficult time, sfiB I am sure it augur«
well for the future state of a Pakistan
that We will have as our leader the
architect of this wonderful State which
is the fifth largest in the World."
CONG&KS9 LKADtft'S TRIBttTti
Punctuated by frequent cheers, Mr.
Kiran Shanker Roy, Leader of thd Conftess
Party, congratulated Mr. Jinneh
in a short speech on being elected to
the Presidentship. Offering him the most
sincere congratulations on behalf of the
Congress Party, Mr. Roy said: "You
have had triumphs in many spheres of
life, ana when we compare all youf
achievements with the honour that the
Assembly has done to you, it may seem
to be not very important, but I colt"
gratulate you on agreeing to accept the
Presidentship of this House. It was a
wise decision. You have be«n the dreamer
of Pakistan, and now that your
dream has been realised you should be
the architect of its Constitution."
Speaking about the minorities, Mr.
Roy said that if Pakistan meant a secular
democratic Btatt, a State Which
would make no difference between Citizen
and citizen irrespective of caste,
creed or community, he would assure
him that he (Mr, Jinnah) would have
their utmost co-operation.
Referring to the policy which Congressmen
in the Assembly would follow,
Mr. Roy said: "Frankly, Sir, we
are not very happy. We are unhappy
because of the division of India. We
are unhappy because of the partition of
the Punjab and Bengal. But once this
arrangement has been agreed upon by
the two great parties, we accept it
loyally, and shall work it out loyally.
(Cheers), we accept the citizenship of
Pakistan With all Its implications."
(Cheers i.
MINORITY RIGHTS MUST BE
RESPECTED
Dr. Roy continued: "We would like to
face all difficulties and risks which are
concomitant with the birth of a nation,
as we hope to share the prosperity and
happiness which we will jointly create
in the $tate, and in return we expect
the righfe-fcnd privileges of the minorities
guaranteed in the Constitution,
not only guaranteed but actually- respected
in the day-to-day working of
the Government. I assure you thai
there will be no want of trust and cooperation
on our side."
"You have been a great leader of
India. The time has now come for you
to take up the leadership of the State
which includes not only Muslims but
Hindus an4 other communities. When
history writes Its final Judgment, it will
say that you were not only a great leader
of a great community, but you were
a great leader of the State of Pakistan,"
concluded Mr. Roy.
Mr. M. A. Khuhro, prospective Premier
of Sind, congratulating Mr. Jinnah,
said that he was the greatest leader the
Muslim world had ever produced. It was
due to his untiring zeal and sincere
efforts that the Muslims had achieved
the dream of their life.
Mr. Khuhro recalled the Lahore resolution
passed by the Muslim League in
1940 which many at that time considered
as a dream that could not be realised.
Within six or seven years, without a
bloody war and without any serious
sacrifice, the Muslims, however, had
been able to get Pakistan which was
due to the sagacity and unparallelled
statesmanship of Mr. Jinnah. Mr.
Khuhro was sure that under Mr. Jinnah'i
guidance the Constituent Assembly
would frame a Constitution which many
would envy.
MR. 3. N. MANDAL'S ASSDEANCI
Mr. Jogendra Nath Mandal congratulated
Mr. Jinnah on his election to the
office on behalf of the "great section of
the minority communitiesthe downtrodden,
economically, socially and politically".
Admitting that he was not strong
enough to carry out in full the mission
of lifting them economically and socially,
Mr. Mandal said that the President
might perhaps always find Mr. Mandal
alone to raise his voice on behalf of the
several million down-trodden people
belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Although
he was not sufficiently airong
and capable of truly representing their
case In a manner which might attract
the full consideration ot the House, he
Hoped that With the generosity of the
President, his voice, however feebk,
would not fail to evoke sympathy In him
and the House.
Mr. Mandal assured the President Of
unstinted faithfulness and sincere
loyalty to the State and to him as the
head of eight million people of his community.
TASK AHEAD OF PAKISTAN
After his election as President of the
Pakistan Constituent Assembly, Mr.
Jlhnah addressed the House for forty
Minutes. His speech was listened to With
rapt attention by members of tha House
wfth occasional cheers and applause. The
seeeeh, however, was completely tnaudible
In the Press gallery as the
loudspeaker equipment failed.
Mr. Jinnah thanked the House with
the utmost Sincerity for the greatest
honour conferred on him By electing
him as tne first President of a Sovereign
Assembly, and also thanked those leaders
who had spoken in appreciation of
his services arid for their personal
reference to him.
"1 hope", said Mr. Jinnah, "that With
*ouf support and co-operation, we SBttll
make this Constituent Assembly an example
to the world. The Constituent Assembly
has got two main furtGtiOn* to
perform. The first is the very onerous
and cesponsible task of framing Our
future constitution of Pakistan and the
second is to function as a full and complete
sovereign body as the Federal
Legislature of Pakistan. We have to do
the best we can in adopting a provisional
constitution for the federal
Legislature of Pakistan,, Net only we
but the whole World wonder at this unprecedented
cyelonic revolution wnieh
.has brought about the plans of creating
and establishing two independent sovereign
Dominions in this sub-continent.
This mighty sub-continent with all
kinds of inhabitants has been brought
under a nlan which is titanic and unparalleled.
And what is important is
that we have achieved It peacefully."
, Mr, jinnah continued: "In dealing
with our Srst funotion of this Assembly,
1 cannot make any well considered pronouncement
at this moment but I nan
say one or two things. I would like to
emphasise that you are now sovereign
legislative body. It therefore, places on
you the greatest responsibility as tb
how you should take your decisions
The first duty of a Government is to
maintain law and order so that life and
property and religious belief are fully '
protected by the State at all eost (Loud
cheers).
CORRUPTION MUST BE PUT DOWN
"One of the biggest curses from which
India is suflering is bribed and corruption
which means we must put that
down with an iron hand, and I hope
that you will take adequate measures
as soon as possible for this Assembly
to handle it. That really is a poison."
Severely condemning blaekmarketing
ana nepotism, Mr. Jinnah said: "You
have to tackle this monster-^a crime
against society in our distressed condition,
in our shortage of food and the
essential commodities Of life. Black-marketeers
ought to be very severely punished
because they undermine the entire
system of control and regulation of foodstuffs
and essential commodities. The
next thing that Strikes Me is nepotism
and bribery, a legacy Which has now
been transferred to us, and 1 want to
make It quite clear that I shall never
tolerate any kind of bribery, nepotism
or any influence I find directly or indirectly
brought to bear upon me."
PARTITION OP INDIA
Maintaining that division of India
was the only solution of India's constitutional
problem. Mr. Jinnah traced the
genesis of the plan and declared the
bfOad policy of the Pakistan State towards
Its people.
"I know," he said, "there are people
who do not quite agree with the division
of India and the partition of the
Punjab and Bengal. But now that it has
been accepted, it is the duty of every
one Of us loyally to abide by it and act
honourably according to the agreement
Which is now final and binding on all.
1 can quite understand the feeling that
exists between the two communities.
But the question is whether it was possible
or practicable to do otherwise
then what is being done. A division had
to take place.
"On both sides, in Hindustan and Pakistan,
there may be sections of people
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PAKISTAN ASSEMBLY
(Continued from previous page.)
who do not agree with it, who do not
like it, but in my judgment there was
no other solution. I think when history
records its verdict it will be proved by
facts that it was the only solution of
India's- constitutional problem. Any
other idea of a united India would
never have worked, and in my judgment
it would have led us to terrific
disaster. But in this division it became
impossible to avoid the question of minorities
being in one Dominion or the
other."
EQUAL RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP
Promising equal rights of citizenship
to all. Mr. Jinnah amidst cheers said:
"If we want to make this great State of
Pakistan happy and prosperous, then
we should wholly and solely concentrate
on the well-being of the people and
especially of the masses and the poor."
Addressing the minorities in particular,
Mr. Jinnah said: "If you work in a
spirit of co-operation, forgetting the
past and burying the hatchet, I will say
that every one of you, no matter to
what community you belong, no matter
what colour, caste or creed, is first,
second and last a citizen of this State
with equal rights, privileges and obligations."
Proceeding, Mr. Jinnah said that they
should begin to work in that spirit and
in course of time all the angularities of
majority and minority communities,
provincialism and caste prejudices
would vanish. These were the biggest
hindrances in the way of India's attaining
freedom and but for these we would
have been free people long ago. Nobody
could hold another nation of four
hundred millions in subjugation or
continue to hold for any length of time
but for these.
"You are free to go to your temples
aj»d to your places of worship, in this
State of Pakistan" Mr. Jinnah said.
"While you may belong to one religion
or caste or creed that has nothing to do
with the business of the State."(Cheers).
Mr. Jinnah recalled the conditions of
bitterness that existed between Roman
Catholics and Pr#estants in England
some time ago ana said that even now
there were some States in existence
where there were discriminations.
"NO DISCRIMINATION"
"We are starting the State with no
discrimination, no distinction between
one community and another, between
caste or creed. We are starting
with this fundamental principle that we
are all citizens and equal citizens of
one State. (Loud applause.) We should
keep that in front of us as our ideal
and you will find that in course of
time Hindus will cease to be Hindus
and Muslims will cease to be Muslims,
not in the religious sense, because that
is the personal faith of each individual,
but in the political sense as the citizens
of the nation."
Mr. Jinnah assured the House that he
would always be guided by principles
of justice and fairplay without any
prejudice or illwill and he was sure
that with their support and co-operation
he could look forward to Pakistan to
be one of the greatest nations of the
world. (Loud applause).
GOOD WISHES FROM. U. S.
The President then read out messages
of congratulations received by the
House from Mr. George Marshall.
United States Secretary of State and
from the Australian Government wishing
successful conclusion of the great
work of framing the constitution of
Pakistan based on principles of democracy
and peace and political, social and
economic progress of the people of the
country.
NATIONAL FLAG OF
PAKISTAN
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan, at the conclusion
of the Presidential speech, moved a
resolution for adoption of the National
Flag of Pakistan.
This is the official description of the
flag: "A dark green rectangular flag in
the proportion of length to width 3:2,
with a white vertical bar at the mast,
the green portion bearing a white crescent
in the centre and a five-pointed
white heraldic star. The size of the
white portion will be one-fourth the
size of the flag, nearest the mast, the remaining
three-fourths being dark green."
Unfurling two flags which he presented
to the President to adorn the Presidential
table, Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan explained
the ideals for which the Flag
stood.
He said: "This Flag is not the flag of
any one political party or community.
It is the Flag of the Pakistan nation and
the State which is to come into existence
on August 15. It is not really the
cloth that matters, but its importance
lies in what it stands for. I can say without
any fear of contradiction that this
Flag will stand for freedom, liberty and
equality of all those whp owe allegiance
to the Flag of Pakistan.
"This Flag will protect the legitimate
rights of every citizen and will defend
the integrity of the State. This Flag, I
have no doubt in my mind, will gain the
respect of all nations of the world because
once Pakistan State is established,
when we get the opoortunity of working
out the destinies of 70 million people, we
shall show to the world at large that,
although we are a new State we will be
a State worthy of the 70 million people
of Pakistan. We will live in peace and
we will be a State that will help in
maintaining peace throughout the world.
"EMBLEM OF PEACE"
"We know what are the consequences
of exploitation. We have been exploited
for the last 200 years and we would be
the last people to use the Flag for the
purpose of exploiting other nations. This
Flag will be the Flag of freedom not
only for the people of Pakistan, but will
also be the emblem of peace and help
in maintaining peace throughout the
world.
"As I visualise, the State of Pakistan
will be a State where there will be no
special privileges, no special rights for
any one particular community or Individual
It will be a State where every
citizen will have eaual rights, equal opportunity
and equal privileges and they
will share equally all the obligations that
lie on the citizens of Pakistan."
AMENDMENT MOVED BY
MR. SACHAR
Lala Bhimsen Sachar sought the permission
of the President to speak in
Hindustani, but the Chair ruled that
English was the language of the House
and only when members could not express
themselves adequately they could
speak in the language they chose.
Mr. Sachar who moved an amendment
for the appointment of a committee to
report on the design of the Pakistan
National Flag by noon to-morrow, offered
his congratulations to Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan for the definition of the ideal for
which the Flag stood.
Explaining the reasons why he moved
the amendment despite Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan's utterances, he said these utterances
threw a tremendous responsibility
on the head of the State in the day-today
administration. He was sure that
under Mr. Jinnah's guidance and inspiration
the Government would translate
into action these utterances and the
principles that had been enunciated, the
ieason why he asked for a* committee
was that the minorities wanted to feel
that they were associated with the affairsof
the State at every step, and the determination
of the National Flag of the
State was not a small matter but was of
the greatest importance.
The Flag symbolised the urges and
aspirations and the spirit of the people.
The people would embrace even death
to defend it. The purpose of the amend-.
»ent was to make it more acceptable to
the minorities. He was glad to know
from Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan that it was not
a religious Flag but it was the Flag of
the State inhabited by Muslims, Hindus
and Sikhs as equal citizens of Ihe State.
This had gone a great way in creating
the necessary confidence.
MINORITIES MUST BE CONSULTED
Mr. Sachar said it would have been
better if the leaders of the minority
communities had been consulted when
the Flag was designed and even now
it was not too late. The minorities
wanted an opportunity to deliberate
with the President in a matter of this
national importance. His object was
not at all to create difficulties. Pakistan
was the result of mutual understanding,
accommodation and efforts
to work out the destinies of the country
in a manner which would appeal
to the two great political parties in the
country. The minorities wanted no special
favour; they wanted justice and
equal opportunity to work shoulder to
shoulder with others. ?
Mr. Dhirendra Nath Dutta, supporting
the amendment said that the
Flag was to a great extent identical
with the Party flag of the Muslim
League. The Congress Party flag did not
represent the. communities of India
and it was claimed that the colours
represented the virtues of the nation.
That analogy could therefore not be
applicable here.
"NOT A RELIGIOUS FLAG"
Replying to the debate, Mr. Liaqat
Ali Khan reiterated that it was not the
same flag as the Muslim League flag.
It was not a religious flag. Secondly.
Pakistan State must have its own flag
on August 15. the date of its birth.
They had tried to give a prominent
place to the white colour, and about
one-fourth of the flag was white, a
colour that was made up of seven different
colours.
He added: "Thank God we have not
got seven different classes in Pakistan.
1 hope I will not create a minority.
It is only a minority that can create a
minority. As I am in the majority
community in Pakistan, it will not be
my desire to create a minority. Even
the Muslim members of .the Constituent
Assembly knew nothing about the flag
which was designed in Delhi by a few
of us."
It was for the first time that his Muslim
colleagues in the House had seen
it. It was, therefore, not a question of
not associating the minorities. It would
be his endeavour and desire to associate
the representatives of the minorities
in the House at every stage in the
Assembly's deliberations. "We want to
work in co-operation and not in opposition.
In view of the special circumstances
and shortness of time at our
disposal, and in view of the fact that
the National Flag of Pakistan is to fly
in every nook and corner of the
country. I. hope the members will not
press the amendment."
AMENDMENT NEGATIVED
Mr. Jinnah put the amendment to
vote before the House which negatived
it and the House adopted the
National Flag as described in the resolution.
Mr. Kiran Shankar Boy sought the
permission of the Chair to make some
observations, but Mr. "Jinnah expressed
his inability to allow it as it was not permissible
under the rules,, though, Mr.
Jinnah said, the House would like to
hear him.
Mr. Kiran^ Shanker Roy said: "After
the verdict of the House, we accept the
flag as the National Flag of Pakistan.''
(Loud cheers).
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan then proposed
that the two flags which he presented
to the Assembly might be kept 'in the
National Museum.^ but in the meantime
should remain in the safe custody of
the President of the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly.
Before adjourning for the day, the
House adopted a resolution moved by
Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, appointing
a committee consisting of a Chairman
to be nominated by the President and
seven other members to be elected by the
Assembly to report as soon as possible
on (a), the rules of procedure of the
Assembly, (b) the powers of the President
and (c) procedure for declaration
and filling of vacancies in the
Assembly.A.PJ.
HIGH COMMISSIONERS FROM
BURMA TO INDIA
RANGOON. Aug. 7.
The Government of Burma is at present
awaiting concurrence from Delhi
and Karachi in regard to the appointment
of former Cabinet Ministers,
U Win and U Pe Khin as Burmese High
Commissioners to the Dominions of
India and Pakistan respectively, it was
officially learnt here to-day.
The High Commissioners, it was
stated, were ready to leave as soon as
concurrence was received in order to
be present at their posts when-transfer
of power to India takes place on August
15.Reuter.
"DESHABIMANI" TO
RESUME
CALICUT, Aug. 11.
As required by the Madras Government.
DeshabiTnani, Communist morning
daily of Calicut, furnished the
cash security demanded of it, to-day
before Mr. E. W. Bouchier, I.C.S District
Magistrate and also filed a fresh
declaration. The paper will be coming
out from to-morrow morning. It may be
remembered that two sureties of Rs.
1,000 and Rs. 4,000 were forfeited recently
to the Madras Government, resulting
in the non-publication of the
paper. But due to intercession of the
All-India Editors Conference and the
Madras Press Advisory Committee, the
Madras Government permitted the resumption
of the paper.F.O.C.
MYSORE STATE CONGRESS
BANGALORE, Aug. 11.
The Working Committee of the Mysore
State Congress is meeting on August 20
when the details relating to the launching
of Satyagraha, the form it should
take, when exactly it should begin etc.,
will, I understand, be settled. At a public
meeting that same evening, a declaration
is expected to be made by the
Congress President.
Mr. K. C. Reddy, President of the Mysore
State Congress and Member, Constituent
Assembly, will be leaving for
Delhi by air on August 14 and after
participating in the midnight session of
the Assembly and the Independence Day
celebrations will return to Bangalore on
August 17,F.O.C
MADRAS I.C.S. OFFICERS
FOR PAKISTAN GOVT.
MADRAS, Aug. 11.
It is notified that the following I.C.S.
officers on the Madras Cadre serving in
the Madras Province, will be released for
appointment under the Pakistan Government,
on August 14.
The hon, Mr. M. Shahabuddin, Judge
High Court, Madras, (on leave),
Messrs. M. Karamatullah (on leave).
S. M. Hasan (Chief Presidency Magistrate,
Madras), S. A. M. Khan (District
and Sessions judge, Ramnad), A. Majeed
(Under-Secretary to Government.
Home Department), K. S. Islam (Sub-
Collector, Narasapatam, Vizagapatam
District), I. H. Usmani (Sub-Collector.'
Madanapalle) and Riazuddin Ahmed
(Sub-Collector, Hospet). '
PAKISTAN CONSTITUENT
ASSEMBLY
MR. JINNAH ELECTED PRESIDENT
UNANIMOUSLY
ASSURANCE TO MINORITY
COMMUNITIES
A promise of equal citizenship to all in Pakistan, irrespective of
caste, creed or colour, was given by Mr. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, President
of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly on Monday. Mr. Jinnah
was replying to the congratulations offered to him by his own
party leaders and Opposition leaders on his unanimous election to
the Presidentship.
Mr. Jinnah asked the minorities in particular to bury the hatchet
and work in a spirit of co-operation and assured them of equal
rights, privileges and obligations.
MR. JINNAH'S APPEAL FOR
CO-OPERATION
(mOM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
KARACHI, Aug. 11.
"Justice, fairplay, and complete impartiality
In the discharge of my duties will
be my guiding principles", declared
Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah today,
addressing the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly after his unopposed election as
its President. Mr. Jogendranath Mandal,
who as the temporary Chairman of the
House, announced Mr. Jinnah's election,
vacated his seat and, amidst great acclamation
from all sections of the Assembly,
Mr. Jiftnah took the chair.
Speakers from all sides then felicitated
the President on his election. Mr.
Liaqat Ali Khan, speaking first, hoped
that under Mr. Jinnah's dual role as
Governor-General and President Of the
Constituent Assembly, Pakistan, the
fifth largest nation in the world, would
become powerful and participate in
world councils. Mr. Kiran Shanker Roy,
Leader of the Congress Party, offering
responsive co-operation from the minorities,
declared that partition having
come to stay, they would wholeheartedly
throw in their lot in the affairs of the
State and share the vicissitudes of the
nation. Mr. J, N. Mandal, who said he
was speaking on behalf of the Scheduled
Castes in Pakistan, assured the unstinted
loyalty of his community and
added they would demand more and
more tights and privileges until they
were on a par with other communities
in regard to all platters.
Mr. Jinhah's address to the Assembly
was listened to in pin-drop silence by
the House. Though he stated that he was
.not prepared to make any authoritative
statement at the present moment, his
forty-minutes' speech disclosed two immediate
objectives: firstly maintenance
of law atfd order with a strong hand
without fear or favour and secondly a
ruthless war on bribery, corruption, nepotism
and black-marketing.
FELICITATIONS TO
MR JINNAH
KARACHI, Aug. il.
Mr. Jinnah was unanimously elected
President of the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly this morning (adds the
Associated Press of India).
Mr. Jinnah was led amid cheers to the
presidential chair by Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan and Safdar Abdur Rab Nishtar.
Congratulatory speeches were then
made by Muslim "League and Congress
members.
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan was the first to
congratulate Mr. Jinnah. He taid it
Was With the greatest pride that h4
rose to congratulate him on his election
as the President of the CohstitUefit
Assembly of Pakistan.
Mf. Liaqat Ali Khan continued: "You
have been fightly described as the"
architect of Pakistan and it is a great
fortune for us to haVi you as the President
of this tovefeigh body, and 1
feel sure that you will guide us to our
destiny through your devotion, untiring
zeal, selfless sefVlCie and unshakable
determination. At one constantly associated
with you for ov« eleven years,
can say with truthfulness bnd honesty
that the creation Of this State Of Pakistan
it mainly, if not entirely, due to
youf service." (Cheers').
"It is indeed fin ufiparalleiled event
in the history of the world that without
bloodshed, Without going through i
bloody revolution, a State Which is the
fifth largest in the World should eom*
into being. It il most fortunate that We
will continue to have your guidance
and assistance in building up this structure
of the future state of Pakistan."
"By y6ur election as President of
this sovereign body you will be having
the dual capacity of tiot only being
the head o» the Assembly but also thd
head of the State. 1 am Confident that
you will, while discharging your onerous
duties, be guided by the indexible
honesty which you possess. 1 have fievef
found you WaVBrnng even at tht most
difficult time, sfiB I am sure it augur«
well for the future state of a Pakistan
that We will have as our leader the
architect of this wonderful State which
is the fifth largest in the World."
CONG&KS9 LKADtft'S TRIBttTti
Punctuated by frequent cheers, Mr.
Kiran Shanker Roy, Leader of thd Conftess
Party, congratulated Mr. Jinneh
in a short speech on being elected to
the Presidentship. Offering him the most
sincere congratulations on behalf of the
Congress Party, Mr. Roy said: "You
have had triumphs in many spheres of
life, ana when we compare all youf
achievements with the honour that the
Assembly has done to you, it may seem
to be not very important, but I colt"
gratulate you on agreeing to accept the
Presidentship of this House. It was a
wise decision. You have be«n the dreamer
of Pakistan, and now that your
dream has been realised you should be
the architect of its Constitution."
Speaking about the minorities, Mr.
Roy said that if Pakistan meant a secular
democratic Btatt, a State Which
would make no difference between Citizen
and citizen irrespective of caste,
creed or community, he would assure
him that he (Mr, Jinnah) would have
their utmost co-operation.
Referring to the policy which Congressmen
in the Assembly would follow,
Mr. Roy said: "Frankly, Sir, we
are not very happy. We are unhappy
because of the division of India. We
are unhappy because of the partition of
the Punjab and Bengal. But once this
arrangement has been agreed upon by
the two great parties, we accept it
loyally, and shall work it out loyally.
(Cheers), we accept the citizenship of
Pakistan With all Its implications."
(Cheers i.
MINORITY RIGHTS MUST BE
RESPECTED
Dr. Roy continued: "We would like to
face all difficulties and risks which are
concomitant with the birth of a nation,
as we hope to share the prosperity and
happiness which we will jointly create
in the $tate, and in return we expect
the righfe-fcnd privileges of the minorities
guaranteed in the Constitution,
not only guaranteed but actually- respected
in the day-to-day working of
the Government. I assure you thai
there will be no want of trust and cooperation
on our side."
"You have been a great leader of
India. The time has now come for you
to take up the leadership of the State
which includes not only Muslims but
Hindus an4 other communities. When
history writes Its final Judgment, it will
say that you were not only a great leader
of a great community, but you were
a great leader of the State of Pakistan,"
concluded Mr. Roy.
Mr. M. A. Khuhro, prospective Premier
of Sind, congratulating Mr. Jinnah,
said that he was the greatest leader the
Muslim world had ever produced. It was
due to his untiring zeal and sincere
efforts that the Muslims had achieved
the dream of their life.
Mr. Khuhro recalled the Lahore resolution
passed by the Muslim League in
1940 which many at that time considered
as a dream that could not be realised.
Within six or seven years, without a
bloody war and without any serious
sacrifice, the Muslims, however, had
been able to get Pakistan which was
due to the sagacity and unparallelled
statesmanship of Mr. Jinnah. Mr.
Khuhro was sure that under Mr. Jinnah'i
guidance the Constituent Assembly
would frame a Constitution which many
would envy.
MR. 3. N. MANDAL'S ASSDEANCI
Mr. Jogendra Nath Mandal congratulated
Mr. Jinnah on his election to the
office on behalf of the "great section of
the minority communitiesthe downtrodden,
economically, socially and politically".
Admitting that he was not strong
enough to carry out in full the mission
of lifting them economically and socially,
Mr. Mandal said that the President
might perhaps always find Mr. Mandal
alone to raise his voice on behalf of the
several million down-trodden people
belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Although
he was not sufficiently airong
and capable of truly representing their
case In a manner which might attract
the full consideration ot the House, he
Hoped that With the generosity of the
President, his voice, however feebk,
would not fail to evoke sympathy In him
and the House.
Mr. Mandal assured the President Of
unstinted faithfulness and sincere
loyalty to the State and to him as the
head of eight million people of his community.
TASK AHEAD OF PAKISTAN
After his election as President of the
Pakistan Constituent Assembly, Mr.
Jlhnah addressed the House for forty
Minutes. His speech was listened to With
rapt attention by members of tha House
wfth occasional cheers and applause. The
seeeeh, however, was completely tnaudible
In the Press gallery as the
loudspeaker equipment failed.
Mr. Jinnah thanked the House with
the utmost Sincerity for the greatest
honour conferred on him By electing
him as tne first President of a Sovereign
Assembly, and also thanked those leaders
who had spoken in appreciation of
his services arid for their personal
reference to him.
"1 hope", said Mr. Jinnah, "that With
*ouf support and co-operation, we SBttll
make this Constituent Assembly an example
to the world. The Constituent Assembly
has got two main furtGtiOn* to
perform. The first is the very onerous
and cesponsible task of framing Our
future constitution of Pakistan and the
second is to function as a full and complete
sovereign body as the Federal
Legislature of Pakistan. We have to do
the best we can in adopting a provisional
constitution for the federal
Legislature of Pakistan,, Net only we
but the whole World wonder at this unprecedented
cyelonic revolution wnieh
.has brought about the plans of creating
and establishing two independent sovereign
Dominions in this sub-continent.
This mighty sub-continent with all
kinds of inhabitants has been brought
under a nlan which is titanic and unparalleled.
And what is important is
that we have achieved It peacefully."
, Mr, jinnah continued: "In dealing
with our Srst funotion of this Assembly,
1 cannot make any well considered pronouncement
at this moment but I nan
say one or two things. I would like to
emphasise that you are now sovereign
legislative body. It therefore, places on
you the greatest responsibility as tb
how you should take your decisions
The first duty of a Government is to
maintain law and order so that life and
property and religious belief are fully '
protected by the State at all eost (Loud
cheers).
CORRUPTION MUST BE PUT DOWN
"One of the biggest curses from which
India is suflering is bribed and corruption
which means we must put that
down with an iron hand, and I hope
that you will take adequate measures
as soon as possible for this Assembly
to handle it. That really is a poison."
Severely condemning blaekmarketing
ana nepotism, Mr. Jinnah said: "You
have to tackle this monster-^a crime
against society in our distressed condition,
in our shortage of food and the
essential commodities Of life. Black-marketeers
ought to be very severely punished
because they undermine the entire
system of control and regulation of foodstuffs
and essential commodities. The
next thing that Strikes Me is nepotism
and bribery, a legacy Which has now
been transferred to us, and 1 want to
make It quite clear that I shall never
tolerate any kind of bribery, nepotism
or any influence I find directly or indirectly
brought to bear upon me."
PARTITION OP INDIA
Maintaining that division of India
was the only solution of India's constitutional
problem. Mr. Jinnah traced the
genesis of the plan and declared the
bfOad policy of the Pakistan State towards
Its people.
"I know," he said, "there are people
who do not quite agree with the division
of India and the partition of the
Punjab and Bengal. But now that it has
been accepted, it is the duty of every
one Of us loyally to abide by it and act
honourably according to the agreement
Which is now final and binding on all.
1 can quite understand the feeling that
exists between the two communities.
But the question is whether it was possible
or practicable to do otherwise
then what is being done. A division had
to take place.
"On both sides, in Hindustan and Pakistan,
there may be sections of people
XCentinaed en next pa<e)
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PAKISTAN ASSEMBLY
(Continued from previous page.)
who do not agree with it, who do not
like it, but in my judgment there was
no other solution. I think when history
records its verdict it will be proved by
facts that it was the only solution of
India's- constitutional problem. Any
other idea of a united India would
never have worked, and in my judgment
it would have led us to terrific
disaster. But in this division it became
impossible to avoid the question of minorities
being in one Dominion or the
other."
EQUAL RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP
Promising equal rights of citizenship
to all. Mr. Jinnah amidst cheers said:
"If we want to make this great State of
Pakistan happy and prosperous, then
we should wholly and solely concentrate
on the well-being of the people and
especially of the masses and the poor."
Addressing the minorities in particular,
Mr. Jinnah said: "If you work in a
spirit of co-operation, forgetting the
past and burying the hatchet, I will say
that every one of you, no matter to
what community you belong, no matter
what colour, caste or creed, is first,
second and last a citizen of this State
with equal rights, privileges and obligations."
Proceeding, Mr. Jinnah said that they
should begin to work in that spirit and
in course of time all the angularities of
majority and minority communities,
provincialism and caste prejudices
would vanish. These were the biggest
hindrances in the way of India's attaining
freedom and but for these we would
have been free people long ago. Nobody
could hold another nation of four
hundred millions in subjugation or
continue to hold for any length of time
but for these.
"You are free to go to your temples
aj»d to your places of worship, in this
State of Pakistan" Mr. Jinnah said.
"While you may belong to one religion
or caste or creed that has nothing to do
with the business of the State."(Cheers).
Mr. Jinnah recalled the conditions of
bitterness that existed between Roman
Catholics and Pr#estants in England
some time ago ana said that even now
there were some States in existence
where there were discriminations.
"NO DISCRIMINATION"
"We are starting the State with no
discrimination, no distinction between
one community and another, between
caste or creed. We are starting
with this fundamental principle that we
are all citizens and equal citizens of
one State. (Loud applause.) We should
keep that in front of us as our ideal
and you will find that in course of
time Hindus will cease to be Hindus
and Muslims will cease to be Muslims,
not in the religious sense, because that
is the personal faith of each individual,
but in the political sense as the citizens
of the nation."
Mr. Jinnah assured the House that he
would always be guided by principles
of justice and fairplay without any
prejudice or illwill and he was sure
that with their support and co-operation
he could look forward to Pakistan to
be one of the greatest nations of the
world. (Loud applause).
GOOD WISHES FROM. U. S.
The President then read out messages
of congratulations received by the
House from Mr. George Marshall.
United States Secretary of State and
from the Australian Government wishing
successful conclusion of the great
work of framing the constitution of
Pakistan based on principles of democracy
and peace and political, social and
economic progress of the people of the
country.
NATIONAL FLAG OF
PAKISTAN
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan, at the conclusion
of the Presidential speech, moved a
resolution for adoption of the National
Flag of Pakistan.
This is the official description of the
flag: "A dark green rectangular flag in
the proportion of length to width 3:2,
with a white vertical bar at the mast,
the green portion bearing a white crescent
in the centre and a five-pointed
white heraldic star. The size of the
white portion will be one-fourth the
size of the flag, nearest the mast, the remaining
three-fourths being dark green."
Unfurling two flags which he presented
to the President to adorn the Presidential
table, Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan explained
the ideals for which the Flag
stood.
He said: "This Flag is not the flag of
any one political party or community.
It is the Flag of the Pakistan nation and
the State which is to come into existence
on August 15. It is not really the
cloth that matters, but its importance
lies in what it stands for. I can say without
any fear of contradiction that this
Flag will stand for freedom, liberty and
equality of all those whp owe allegiance
to the Flag of Pakistan.
"This Flag will protect the legitimate
rights of every citizen and will defend
the integrity of the State. This Flag, I
have no doubt in my mind, will gain the
respect of all nations of the world because
once Pakistan State is established,
when we get the opoortunity of working
out the destinies of 70 million people, we
shall show to the world at large that,
although we are a new State we will be
a State worthy of the 70 million people
of Pakistan. We will live in peace and
we will be a State that will help in
maintaining peace throughout the world.
"EMBLEM OF PEACE"
"We know what are the consequences
of exploitation. We have been exploited
for the last 200 years and we would be
the last people to use the Flag for the
purpose of exploiting other nations. This
Flag will be the Flag of freedom not
only for the people of Pakistan, but will
also be the emblem of peace and help
in maintaining peace throughout the
world.
"As I visualise, the State of Pakistan
will be a State where there will be no
special privileges, no special rights for
any one particular community or Individual
It will be a State where every
citizen will have eaual rights, equal opportunity
and equal privileges and they
will share equally all the obligations that
lie on the citizens of Pakistan."
AMENDMENT MOVED BY
MR. SACHAR
Lala Bhimsen Sachar sought the permission
of the President to speak in
Hindustani, but the Chair ruled that
English was the language of the House
and only when members could not express
themselves adequately they could
speak in the language they chose.
Mr. Sachar who moved an amendment
for the appointment of a committee to
report on the design of the Pakistan
National Flag by noon to-morrow, offered
his congratulations to Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan for the definition of the ideal for
which the Flag stood.
Explaining the reasons why he moved
the amendment despite Mr. Liaqat Ali
Khan's utterances, he said these utterances
threw a tremendous responsibility
on the head of the State in the day-today
administration. He was sure that
under Mr. Jinnah's guidance and inspiration
the Government would translate
into action these utterances and the
principles that had been enunciated, the
ieason why he asked for a* committee
was that the minorities wanted to feel
that they were associated with the affairsof
the State at every step, and the determination
of the National Flag of the
State was not a small matter but was of
the greatest importance.
The Flag symbolised the urges and
aspirations and the spirit of the people.
The people would embrace even death
to defend it. The purpose of the amend-.
»ent was to make it more acceptable to
the minorities. He was glad to know
from Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan that it was not
a religious Flag but it was the Flag of
the State inhabited by Muslims, Hindus
and Sikhs as equal citizens of Ihe State.
This had gone a great way in creating
the necessary confidence.
MINORITIES MUST BE CONSULTED
Mr. Sachar said it would have been
better if the leaders of the minority
communities had been consulted when
the Flag was designed and even now
it was not too late. The minorities
wanted an opportunity to deliberate
with the President in a matter of this
national importance. His object was
not at all to create difficulties. Pakistan
was the result of mutual understanding,
accommodation and efforts
to work out the destinies of the country
in a manner which would appeal
to the two great political parties in the
country. The minorities wanted no special
favour; they wanted justice and
equal opportunity to work shoulder to
shoulder with others. ?
Mr. Dhirendra Nath Dutta, supporting
the amendment said that the
Flag was to a great extent identical
with the Party flag of the Muslim
League. The Congress Party flag did not
represent the. communities of India
and it was claimed that the colours
represented the virtues of the nation.
That analogy could therefore not be
applicable here.
"NOT A RELIGIOUS FLAG"
Replying to the debate, Mr. Liaqat
Ali Khan reiterated that it was not the
same flag as the Muslim League flag.
It was not a religious flag. Secondly.
Pakistan State must have its own flag
on August 15. the date of its birth.
They had tried to give a prominent
place to the white colour, and about
one-fourth of the flag was white, a
colour that was made up of seven different
colours.
He added: "Thank God we have not
got seven different classes in Pakistan.
1 hope I will not create a minority.
It is only a minority that can create a
minority. As I am in the majority
community in Pakistan, it will not be
my desire to create a minority. Even
the Muslim members of .the Constituent
Assembly knew nothing about the flag
which was designed in Delhi by a few
of us."
It was for the first time that his Muslim
colleagues in the House had seen
it. It was, therefore, not a question of
not associating the minorities. It would
be his endeavour and desire to associate
the representatives of the minorities
in the House at every stage in the
Assembly's deliberations. "We want to
work in co-operation and not in opposition.
In view of the special circumstances
and shortness of time at our
disposal, and in view of the fact that
the National Flag of Pakistan is to fly
in every nook and corner of the
country. I. hope the members will not
press the amendment."
AMENDMENT NEGATIVED
Mr. Jinnah put the amendment to
vote before the House which negatived
it and the House adopted the
National Flag as described in the resolution.
Mr. Kiran Shankar Boy sought the
permission of the Chair to make some
observations, but Mr. "Jinnah expressed
his inability to allow it as it was not permissible
under the rules,, though, Mr.
Jinnah said, the House would like to
hear him.
Mr. Kiran^ Shanker Roy said: "After
the verdict of the House, we accept the
flag as the National Flag of Pakistan.''
(Loud cheers).
Mr. Liaqat Ali Khan then proposed
that the two flags which he presented
to the Assembly might be kept 'in the
National Museum.^ but in the meantime
should remain in the safe custody of
the President of the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly.
Before adjourning for the day, the
House adopted a resolution moved by
Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, appointing
a committee consisting of a Chairman
to be nominated by the President and
seven other members to be elected by the
Assembly to report as soon as possible
on (a), the rules of procedure of the
Assembly, (b) the powers of the President
and (c) procedure for declaration
and filling of vacancies in the
Assembly.A.PJ.
HIGH COMMISSIONERS FROM
BURMA TO INDIA
RANGOON. Aug. 7.
The Government of Burma is at present
awaiting concurrence from Delhi
and Karachi in regard to the appointment
of former Cabinet Ministers,
U Win and U Pe Khin as Burmese High
Commissioners to the Dominions of
India and Pakistan respectively, it was
officially learnt here to-day.
The High Commissioners, it was
stated, were ready to leave as soon as
concurrence was received in order to
be present at their posts when-transfer
of power to India takes place on August
15.Reuter.
"DESHABIMANI" TO
RESUME
CALICUT, Aug. 11.
As required by the Madras Government.
DeshabiTnani, Communist morning
daily of Calicut, furnished the
cash security demanded of it, to-day
before Mr. E. W. Bouchier, I.C.S District
Magistrate and also filed a fresh
declaration. The paper will be coming
out from to-morrow morning. It may be
remembered that two sureties of Rs.
1,000 and Rs. 4,000 were forfeited recently
to the Madras Government, resulting
in the non-publication of the
paper. But due to intercession of the
All-India Editors Conference and the
Madras Press Advisory Committee, the
Madras Government permitted the resumption
of the paper.F.O.C.
MYSORE STATE CONGRESS
BANGALORE, Aug. 11.
The Working Committee of the Mysore
State Congress is meeting on August 20
when the details relating to the launching
of Satyagraha, the form it should
take, when exactly it should begin etc.,
will, I understand, be settled. At a public
meeting that same evening, a declaration
is expected to be made by the
Congress President.
Mr. K. C. Reddy, President of the Mysore
State Congress and Member, Constituent
Assembly, will be leaving for
Delhi by air on August 14 and after
participating in the midnight session of
the Assembly and the Independence Day
celebrations will return to Bangalore on
August 17,F.O.C
MADRAS I.C.S. OFFICERS
FOR PAKISTAN GOVT.
MADRAS, Aug. 11.
It is notified that the following I.C.S.
officers on the Madras Cadre serving in
the Madras Province, will be released for
appointment under the Pakistan Government,
on August 14.
The hon, Mr. M. Shahabuddin, Judge
High Court, Madras, (on leave),
Messrs. M. Karamatullah (on leave).
S. M. Hasan (Chief Presidency Magistrate,
Madras), S. A. M. Khan (District
and Sessions judge, Ramnad), A. Majeed
(Under-Secretary to Government.
Home Department), K. S. Islam (Sub-
Collector, Narasapatam, Vizagapatam
District), I. H. Usmani (Sub-Collector.'
Madanapalle) and Riazuddin Ahmed
(Sub-Collector, Hospet). '
