Liaquat-Nehru Pact

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is Nehru-Liaquat Pact?
• Why was the pact signed?
• What are the Key provisions of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact?
• Criticisms of Nehru-Liaquat pact
• What was SP Mukherjee’s issue with the Pact?

 

Why in news?

• Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (the predecessor of the BJP), had died, purportedly of a heart attack, on June 23, 1953.
• Despite his antagonism with Nehru and the Congress, Mookerjee was actually a part of the first Union Cabinet under the premiership of Nehru himself.
  • He was inducted into the interim government on August 15, 1947, as the Minister for Industry and Supply.
• However, he resigned in April 1950 over the controversial Nehru-Liaquat Pact.

 

What is Nehru-Liaquat Pact?

• The Nehru-Liaquat Pact is also known as the Delhi Pact or the Agreement of Non-Aggression.
• It was a bilateral agreement signed between India and Pakistan in order to provide a framework for the treatment of minorities in the two countries.
• It was signed between Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, and Liaquat Ali Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, on April 8, 1950.

 

Why was the pact signed?

• Communal tensions and violence had erupted between Hindus and Muslims following the partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947.
• The need for such a pact was felt by minorities in both countries following Partition, which was accompanied by massive communal rioting. 
• Even in 1950, three years after the Partition was announced, some estimates say that over a million Hindus and Muslims migrated to and from East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), amidst unspoken violence and communal tensions.

 

What are the Key provisions of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact?

• The pact recognized the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in both countries and outlined various principles to ensure their protection and welfare.
• Some key provisions of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact included:
  • Security: Both India and Pakistan agreed to take measures to protect the life, property, and honor of their respective minorities.
  • Equality: The pact emphasized that all citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity, should have equal rights and opportunities in their respective countries.
  • Non-Discrimination: Both countries pledged to eliminate discrimination based on religion, race, caste, or creed, and to promote a sense of security among minority communities.
  • Repatriation of Minorities: The pact provided for the return of any minority individuals who had migrated from one country to the other after the partition and wished to return to their former homes.
  • Cultural and Educational Rights: The agreement recognized the importance of preserving the cultural and educational rights of minorities, including the protection of their language, script, and religious institutions.

 

Criticisms of Nehru-Liaquat pact

• Ineffectiveness
  • Despite the agreement, incidents of communal violence and discrimination continued to occur in both India and Pakistan.
• Lack of proper implementation
  • Critics argue that the provisions of the pact were not adequately implemented by both governments.
• Limited Scope 
  • The Nehru-Liaquat Pact was primarily focused on the rights and protection of religious minorities. 
  • Some analysts argue that it did not sufficiently address other important issues, such as the rights of linguistic and ethnic minorities, which also faced discrimination and marginalization in both countries.
• Lack of Consultation: 
  • Another criticism is that the pact was negotiated and signed by the leaders without extensive consultation with the affected minority communities.
• Insufficient Safeguards
  • Without robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, the pact remained a mere symbolic gesture.
• Political Motives
  • Many political analysts argue that both Nehru and Liaquat used the agreement as a way to improve their international image and project an image of tolerance and harmony.
  • The ground realities for minorities remained largely unchanged.

 

News Summary

What was SP Mukherjee’s issue with the Pact?

• Mookerjee had initially been an advocate for a united India.
• However, as Partition became increasingly inevitable, he shifted his focus towards advocating for a divided Bengal, with West Bengal specifically meant for Hindu Bengalis.
• When the Delhi Pact was signed, which promised minority rights and the establishment of minority commissions in both India and Pakistan, Mookerjee was extremely angry.
  • Looking at the huge influx of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, he felt that the Pact was a betrayal of the logical outcome of the Partition – a Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan.
• He felt that the Pact would essentially leave Hindus in East Bengal at the mercy of the Pakistani state. 
• Instead, he argued for a systematic exchange of population and property at the governmental level between East Bengal and the states of Tripura, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
• He also favoured a plan granting the Hindu minority in East Bengal an opportunity to settle in India while pushing the Muslim minorities in India to East Bengal.

 

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Q1) What was East Pakistan?

 East Pakistan was the eastern provincial region of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971. It is important to note that East Pakistan is no longer in existence, as it underwent a significant transformation and became an independent nation known as Bangladesh in 1971. Following the partition of India in 1947, the region that is now Bangladesh was initially included as part of Pakistan, which was formed as a separate nation for Muslims. West Pakistan, comprising the western provinces of present-day Pakistan, and East Pakistan, comprising the eastern region of what is now Bangladesh, were geographically separated by India.

 

Q2) Who was Syama Prasad Mookerjee?

Syama Prasad Mookerjee, often referred to as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, was an Indian politician, academician, and activist who played a significant role in the pre-independence and post-independence periods of India. He was born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and passed away on June 23, 1953. Mookerjee was a prominent leader and a staunch advocate for the rights and interests of Hindu communities in British India. He completed his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned a master's degree in English Literature and a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Calcutta.

 

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Source: What was the Liaquat-Nehru pact, due to which Syama Prasad Mookerjee resigned from the Union cabinet? | MEA | Indian Express