Forum Pakistan

The decision in January 1946 to send a three member Cabinet Mission comprising of Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford *Cripp and A. V. Alexander to India fulfilled the British promise of discussions on the form of a constitution making body following the holding of elections. The issue was not whether power would be transferred but the form of the post-imperial order. The Mi sion's preferred option was for a united India on strategic grounds, By mid-June it appeared that a plan had been agreed upon for the grouping of provinces into three sections and with a central government confined to control of defence, foreign affairs and communications. The *Muslim League had accepted the scheme because of the autonomy it gave to the six Mu lim provinces, although this fell short of a sovereign Pakistan. The Congress wanted a much stronger centre and Nehru's hedging around the future working of the grouping element led the League to withdraw its acceptance on 29 July 1946. The British then went ahead with the establishment of a Congress only 14 member Interim Government. This forced the League into adopting direct action. This course of action following from the failure of the Federal scheme of the Cabinet Mission meant that the Partition of the subcontinent became virtually inevitable.