Mir Laiq Ali, the captain who ensured the sinking of Hyderabad ship

Of all the political absurdities leading to the forceful annexation of Hyderabad state to Indian Union, nothing perhaps is more perplexing than the appointment of an engineer-turned-businessman with no political experience whatsoever to the highest post of Nizam’s ministry during the most crucial time in Hyderabad’s history.  Mir Laiq Ali appears on the scene right after Standstill Agreement between India and Hyderabad was signed on November 29th, 1947 following which the Nawab of Chattari vacated the Prime Minister’s post. The PM’s office took a toll on Chattari’s health resulting in a series of heart attacks. Such was the prevailing political tension in the state. To add to it, he was a ‘Non-Mulki’ as was his predecessor Sir Mirza Ismail and the public sentiment was rising against the ‘Non-Mulki’ dominance in the Nizam’s government.  Mystery of Laiq Ali’s appointment According to Laiq Ali, he had politely discouraged Nizam’s initial “general exchange of views” on the matter of his appointment to the office. Laiq Ali previously had declined the offers of joining Sir Akbar Hydari’s and Nawab of Chatter’s cabinets. However the Nizam persuaded him persistently. Apparently he was also approached by “ scores of prominent citizens of Hyderabad of whom a good many were Hindus ”. Why a businessman with large industrial stakes in Hyderabad and Pakistan became a frontrunner for Prime Minister’s office is strangely left out from Laiq Ali’s voluminous memoir, The Tragedy of Hyderabad . Nevertheless his memoir happens to be the most comprehensive account, sometimes a day-to-day account of mayhem within Hyderabad state affairs leading to the D-day despite some logical blanks here and there.  Thankfully the readers have alternate sources to fill in the blanks with especially coming in handy on the matter are the then Constitutional Advisor Ali Yavar Jung’s series of articles published in Times of India even if K M Munshi’s accounts could be discounted as biased.
That Laiq Ali was in good books of Mohammed Ali Jinnah with whom the Nizam was exchanging political thoughts during the time does not make Laiq Ali’s candidacy seem like a coincidence. Laiq Ali suggests him and the Nizam shared a mutual attitude on Pakistan, that of unfettered affection and that he had finally accepted Nizam’s invitation in December 1947 not without obtaining Jinnah’s “permission” first. Ali Yavar Jung doesn’t mince his words speaking of Laiq Ali’s appointment as being “ installed on the recommendation by the Ittehad and as an acceptable Mulki ” with the blessings of Jinnah. His only other contender, Mr. Gulam Mahomed had already accepted Finance Ministry of Pakistan.  Ali Yavar Jung shares a ray of hope that prevailed in Laiq Ali’s initial days of ministry that he began by releasing State Congress members from jails who were imprisoned for their indulgence in satyagrahas across the state. Moreover the fact that he had a lot of Hindu friends in the profession of industry had the potential to diffuse the communal tension Ittehad had already created. The thought was he would “rise to the occasion during the grace period of Standstill Agreement to the good purpose of an enduring settlement of these internal problems.” Instead the talks with the State Congress turned out to be inconclusive and hit a dead-end.