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Mir Laik Ali

Last Prime Minister of the Nizam's government of Hyderabad, from December 1947 to 17 September 1948. He took office after the Standstill Agreement crisis, negotiated with Delhi in 1948 and, according to a US intelligence report of August 1948, accepted the draft agreement of June 1948 that the Nizam then rejected. His ministry raised spending on the army and police and turned to the United Nations; he resigned on the day the Nizam ordered a ceasefire. Accounts of him differ sharply between the Congress-side histories, the new government of 1949 and his own later book.

Mir Laik Ali was the last Prime Minister of the Nizam’s government in Hyderabad. He held office from December 1947 until 17 September 1948, the day the Nizam ordered a ceasefire in the Police Action.12 (He should not be confused with Mir Laik Ali Khan, Salar Jung II, minister in 1884–87.)1

The sources describe him in very different ways. Sarojini Regani’s history of the freedom movement is written from the Congress side.1 The book Hyderabad Reborn (1949) is the publicity of the new government that followed him.3 A confidential report of the United States State Department, dated 16 August 1948, gives an outside view written while he was in office.4 His own book, The Tragedy of Hyderabad, is known here only through Regani’s quotations.5

Coming to office, 1947

The US report says that just before he became Prime Minister, Laik Ali led a delegation to the United States to ask for a large loan for Pakistan.4 Regani describes how he came to power.1 In October 1947 a crowd of Razakars surrounded the houses of the Nizam’s negotiators for the Standstill Agreement and stopped them leaving for Delhi.6 The Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen leader Qasim Razvi demanded new negotiators, and the team resigned.1 Mehdi Yar Jung held the post for a short time.1 Then, Regani writes, under pressure from the party and after consulting Jinnah, Laik Ali was made Prime Minister on 18 December 1947.1

His cabinet included four Hindus, Regani notes.1 Pingal Venkat Rama Reddy was Deputy Prime Minister.1 B. S. Venkat Rao represented the depressed classes, Mallikarjunappa the Lingayats, and J. V. Joshi was the fourth.1 G. Ramachar joined later.1 According to Regani, his government proposed a legislature with 75 per cent Muslim members for the first three years, which the State Congress refused.7

Negotiations, 1948

Laik Ali went to Delhi in March 1948.8 Regani says the Government of India then complained of breaches of the Standstill Agreement and demanded that the Razakars be banned.8 In reply, she writes, he said that Hyderabad as a sovereign state kept the right to buy arms.9 He asked for arbitration.9 He said the Razakars would be disbanded only when the cause of their rise was removed.9

In late May and June 1948 Laik Ali led the Hyderabad team in new talks in Delhi.10 The two sides drew up heads of agreement on defence, foreign affairs, the Razakars and responsible government.1011 Regani says Laik Ali agreed to them in Delhi but raised new demands after returning to Hyderabad.12 The US report gives a different picture.13 It says the draft was acceptable to Laik Ali and to the Nizam’s adviser Sir Walter Monckton.13 Laik Ali denounced it, the report says, only after the Nizam had rejected it.13

Spending and the appeal to the United Nations

The book Hyderabad Reborn gives the new government’s view of his finances.3 It says army spending rose from 170.77 lakhs of rupees in 1356 Fasli (1946–47) to 633.49 lakhs in 1357 Fasli (1947–48).14 Police spending rose from 114.58 lakhs to 265 lakhs.14 The book claims that his ministry had hidden the true size of the deficit.14 It also says his ministry had put limits on trade, which the new government removed.15

Shortly before the Police Action, Regani writes, Laik Ali went secretly to Karachi and met Pakistani leaders.16 Sir Zafarullah Khan advised him to take the case to the United Nations Security Council.16 A Hyderabad delegation left for the Security Council on the night of 10 September.16

Fall

Indian troops entered the state on 13 September 1948.17 Regani quotes Laik Ali’s book as admitting that attempts to blow up bridges had failed.18 On the morning of 17 September he resigned.2 That afternoon the Nizam ordered a ceasefire.2 See Asaf Jahis, Qasim Razvi and J. N. Chaudhuri.

Footnotes

  1. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 211 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  2. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 234 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Hyderabad Reborn (1949), p. 67 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  4. Office of Intelligence Research, US Department of State, The Problem of the Future Status of Hyderabad (16 August 1948), p. 10, note 1 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  5. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh, p. 207 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  6. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 210 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  7. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 212 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  8. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 216 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  9. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 217 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 226 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  11. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 227 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 228 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. The Problem of the Future Status of Hyderabad (1948), p. 13 and note 1 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  14. Hyderabad Reborn (1949), p. 68 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  15. Hyderabad Reborn (Government of Hyderabad, 1949), p. 16 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  16. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 231 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  17. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 232 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  18. Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement, p. 233 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

References

Sources (3)
  1. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (opens in a new tab), Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1956, pp. 207, 210–212, 216–217, 225–228, 231, 233–234. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. Office of Intelligence Research, Department of State (United States), The Problem of the Future Status of Hyderabad (OIR Report, 16 August 1948) (opens in a new tab), Department of State, Washington (confidential report, later released), 1948, pp. 10, 13. US federal government work; cited and paraphrased. [US federal government work (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Director of Information, Government of Hyderabad, Hyderabad Reborn: First Six Months of Freedom (September 18, 1948 - March 17, 1949) (opens in a new tab), Government of Hyderabad, 1949, pp. 16, 67–68. Public domain in India; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]

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