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PAKISTAN : WEAKENING OF THE DEFENCES
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Q. 1162 : Mr. Brojendra Narayan Chaudhary : Will the Defence Secretary please state :—
(a) Whether the attention of Government has been drawn to the address of the Punjab’s Premier, the Hon’ble Sir Sikander Hyat Khan to his brother soldiers, in these words : “No patriotic Punjabi would wish to impair Punjab’s position of supremacy in the Army,” as reported by the Associated Press of India in the Hindustan Times of the 5th September 1938; and
(b) Whether it is the policy of Government to maintain the supremacy of Punjabis in the army by continuing to recruit the major portion from the Punjab; or to attempt recruitment of the Army from all the provinces without racial or provincial considerations ?
Mr. C. M. G. Ogilvie :
(a) Yes.
(b) I refer the Honourable Member to replies I gave to the supplementary questions arising from starred question No. 1060 asked by Mr. Amarendra Nath Chattopadhyaya on 15th September 1938.
Mr. S. Satyamurti: With reference to the answer to part (a) of the question, my Honourable friend referred to previous answers. As far as I remember, they were not given after this statement was brought before this House. May I know if the Government of India have examined this statement of the Punjab Premier, “No patriotic Punjabi would wish to impair Punjab’s position of supremacy in the Army” ? May I know whether Government have considered the dangerous implications of this statement and will they take steps to prevent a responsible Minister going about and claiming provincial or communal supremacy in the Indian Army, which ought to remain Indian first and Indian last ?
Mr. C. M. G. Ogilvie: I can only answer in exactly the same words as I answered to a precisely similar question of the Hon’ble Member on the 15th September last. The policy of Government with regard to the recruitment has been repeatedly stated and is perfectly clear.