After reading this in Selma's book: Around the time, Cunha's pamphlet would have been animatedly discussed behind closed doors in Goa, M.R.A. Baig took over as Consul for India in the Portuguese possession. Baig was an interesting choice. The Sandhurst educated man, a Hyderabadi from an influential Muslim family, was a close associate of Jinnah, a key figure in India's own Independence struggle, later to rise to the position of Chief of Protocol and Indian Ambassador to Iran.
Baig had a very different attitude to the situation in Goa from that of Bremner, and a richer understanding of its environment given his own race orientation. It made him a prudent choice by the British who clearly saw the end of Empire in the region. I was curious to know more about MRA Baig. Does anyone have any pointers? The closest I could find online were: BAIG, MRA (1974). *The Muslim Dilemma in India*. Delhi<http://www.freebooknotes.com/wiki/Delhi>: Vikas Publishing House. pp. 51–2. MRA Baig, Jinnah’s advisor who parted company with him as a protest against the resolution of Pakistan passed by the Muslim League in 1940, wrote in his book On Different Saddles! : “Pakistan, in fact, never came to Jinnah’s mind till about 1939. I think he was perfectly sincere round about 1934 when he described Hindus and Muslims to me as two arms of the Indian body. When the Congress formed the provincial government in 1936, he expected them to form Congress-League coalitions, which was his concept of Hindu-Muslim unity. It was only when the Congress, wedded to political theories perfectly applicable to Britain, such as majority party government, and not recognising that in the context of Indian conditions a numerical majority could be synonymous with a communal majority, formed purely Congress governments in the provinces, that he turned to Pakistan.” http://internationalpost.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html Also at http://www.dnaindia.com/india/comment_jaswant-singh-committed-ideological-heresy_1283680 There's a whole lot of behind-the-scenes realities which we still need to understand... FN Frederick Noronha +91-9822122436 +91-832-2409490
