Forum Pakistan

Bhopal, Mohammad Hamidullah, Sir, Nawab of (1894-1960)
Statesman. H.H. Sikander Saulat, Nawab IftikharulMulk, Sir Mohammad Hamidullah, Nawab of Bhopal, succeeded to the throne of Bhopal, the second largest Indian princely state ruled by a Muslim, in 1926. He had been educated at the University of Allahabad (BA) and Aligarh Muslim University (LLB).

In 1923 the Nawab of Bhopal was elected to the Standing Committee of the Chamber of Princes. This did not prevent him from demanding Dominion Status for India. He promoted Hindu-Muslim amity and repealed a law that made apostasy from Islam a criminal offence in Bhopal.

Because of his nationalistic views, he had established contact with Congress leaders, but became estranged when the *Nehru Report discarded the Delhi Muslim Proposals. Noticing this, the Congres organized a strike in Bhopal in 1938. In the same year the Quaid-iAzam paid a visit to Bhopal and close, friendly relations were established between *Jinnah and the Nawab.
In 1944 he was elected Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. In 1946, after the *Cabinet Mission Plan had floundered, Hamidullah attempted reconciliation between Gandhi and Jinnah, getting the former to sign a formula for communal representation in the Interim Government, but, in a replay of the *Round Table Conference scene, Gandhi retracted the following day. Hamidullah attempted a device of block negotiation of the Chamber of Princes with the Constituent Assembly of India. On 3 June 1947, when the Partition Plan was announced, the Nawab of Bhopal resigned as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. On 14 August 1947 Bhopal acceded to the Dominion of India.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ian Coupland, 'The Quaid-i-Azam and the Nawab Chancellor' in: Mushir-ul-Hasan (ed.), Islam: