EPILOGUE 171
" It Is dishonest to give a political status to the
communal movement of the Muslim League, whose fol-
lowers have been indulging in crime."
The Governor's argument was that u the violent de-
monstrations throughout the province indicate lack of
confidence in the Ministry." Badshah Khan pointed out
that the Governor could have helped to prevent the shed-
ding of blood if he had done his duty. In 1930, a misguided
Pathan had fired at a British officer and the culprit was
arrested, condemned and executed within forty-eight
hours. When Hiss ilollie Ellis was abducted and
rescued, it was held up by a leading Tory paper as an
illustration of how the entire resources of the British
Empire could be mobilized to retrieve the honour of a
British woman. During the six years of war, when the
British themselves were in trouble, there was no trouble
in the tribal territory. The British then wanted peace
and there was peace. And now hundreds of people had
been butchered, thousands orphaned and rendered home-
less while the British power in the Frontier looked on? un-
willing to take drastic measures, which their own Minis-
ters asked for, to put down lawlessness, and instead, point-
ed to lawlessness as a reason for the removal of those
Ministers, who had been returned to power by an over-
whelming majority of the voters and still commanded a
majority in the legislature.
He made a passionate appeal to Muslim Leaguers
" to sit with the Khudai Khidmatgars in a joint jirga to
tackle various important issues that ai4e (were) likely to
crop up after the departure of the Britishers from India.
Now that the British are going, they should sit in jirga
with us. We can patch up our differences today if they
meet us like brothers and renounce their violent methods.
I shall agree to any honourable settlement between our-
selves if an earnest effort be made. Leaguers," he said,
"fear Hindu domination, while we fear British domina-
tion. Let us meet together and convince each other. We
are prepared to allay their fears. But, I ask, will they in
turn allav ours ? "