ROYAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY

On July 12,1943 A.D. Maharaja Hari Singh through a proclamation constituted a Royal Commission of Enquiry which among others included the following members :

1. Rai Bahadur Ganga Nath.
2. Major General Roy Bahadur Janak Singh.
3. Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg.
4. Kh. Gulam Mohammad Sadiq.
5. Pt. Prem Nath Dogra.

The terms of refrence of the Commission were well defined as to find out necessary ways and means to make Jammu and Kashmir a welfare state.
The National Conference leaders welcomed the offer and sent its members with clear instructions that the proceedings and the recommendations of the Commission should not clean with the basic ideals and principles of the National Conference. But soon the members of the National Conference disassociated themselves from the deliberations of the Commission that it was realized that the majority of the members came from that class of society, which in one way or the other, was a part and parcel of the existing system. The working committee of the National Conference in its session of February 27, 1944 A.D. realized that the report prepared for submission to the Commission should instead be submitted to the Maharaja and also published for the information of general public as it contained principles and all the details of future set-up of the society and the government. The memorandum /document drafted with the help of progressive friends like B.P.L Bedi, M.D. Taseer, Daniel Latief and Ahsan Danish was presented to the Haraja Hari Singh by Sher-I-Kashmir near the historic place of Mujahid Manil on the day of reception organized in honour of Maharja Hari Singh on his return from the tour of Central Asia.

In June 1944 A.D., Mohammad Ali Jinnah on the visit to Kashmir made a conflicting statement, pleading for support to Muslim League,in the teo functions organized separately in his honour by National Conference and the Muslim Conference. The people did not like this politics of duality and made his stay in the valley very uncomfortable.The same fate was meted out to V.D.Savarkar,leader of Hindu Mahasabha when Pt.S.N.Fotedar,President of Yuvak Sabha made categorically known to him that his ideology of “Hindu State” was against the Kashmiri’s tradition of communal amity.

In a historic session of National Conference held in 1944 A.D. at Mujahid Manzil.Srinagar, Sher-i-Kashmir in his presidential address said,”Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has always championed and supported the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and at all times we have held that the biggest obstacle in the way of India’s freedom is the difference and distrust between the two great communities. Therefore, every attempt at unity we consider auspicious.From the core of our heart we want the unity of Hindus and Muslims of India.To settle these details is the task of the Congress and the League. And the leaders of these organizations, Gandhi ji and Jinnah are the best persons for this. Our duty along with the countrymen was to support the move for unity.We could not forget that Gandhi-Jinnah agreement would have brought the hour of India’s Independence nearer”