Compiled by Khaled Masud 28 December 2023
Why Quaid decided to become the Governor General of Pakistan whereas Mountbatten wanted to be Governor General of both Dominions (India & Pakistan)????
Many of our pseudo-intellectuals and “scholars” (whose total knowledge of Pak history comprises of Pak studies book in school and odd newspaper columns) have expressed this opinion (off and on) that if Quaid had agreed to Mountbatten being the common Gov. Gen. , the partition transition may have been smoother. These same “wise heads” indirectly upbraid the Quaid by implying that it was only because of his ego that he wanted to be the Governor General. The facts don’t bear this at all—Quaid was the man who declined a British knighthood and strongly rebuked those who attempted to dub him Emperor of Pakistan ( In a party meeting someone addressed Quaid as “Shahenshah -e- Pakistan”. Quaid swiftly replied,” I am a soldier of Pakistan, not its emperor”).
The actual reason was that Quaid did not trust Mountbatten to be impartial and fair because of his personal relationship with Nehru; Handing over Governorship of Pakistan to Mountbatten may have resulted in undoing of the new state. One incident is well indicative of Nehru’s hold over Mountbatten. Viceroy had prepared a partition plan and sent it to London for cabinet approval. On May 8, 1947, after getting the cabinet approval Mountbatten announced a meeting with Jinnah, Nehru, Liaquat, Patel and Sardar Baldev Singh for May 17, 1947; the meeting was to reveal the plan and get it approved from Indian leaders before announcing it.
On the same night i.e. May 8, Mountbatten, against the advice of his staff, broke protocol and showed the plan to Nehru (who was residing with the Mountbattens at Simla in the viceroy lodge). After going thru these Top Secret papers Nehru flew into a rage and indicated that Congress is never going to agree to that plan. On Nehru’s insistence Mountbatten postponed the meeting of May 17 to June 2nd. Then that night Mountbatten, Nehru , V. P. Menon and Evan Jenkins (Governor of Punjab) worked to revise the plan to make it more acceptable to Nehru.
Mountbatten later personally flew to London on May 18 with the revised plan to talk to Prime Minister Atlee and Opposition leader Churchill to get their assent ( as leaders back in London were not very pleased that the earlier plan prepared by Mountbatten himself and approved by the cabinet was being revised). Mountbatten returned to India on May 29th with the revised plan which was in reality a “Nehru Plan” and the same plan was revealed to the Indian leaders on June 3rd. Quaid came to know of these happenings later ( thru Delhi grapevine), after the partition plan had been announced. This along with many other doings of the Viceroy had convinced the Quaid that Mountbatten could not be trusted to look after the interests of Pakistan.
(sources for the above: Jawaher Lal Nehru By Gopal, SWJN Volume 2, A note on the draft proposals Volume 2- the dates for meetings and change of same , Illustrated weekly of India)