z:\ ambedkar\vol 08\vol8 03.indd MK SJ+YS 28 9 2013 91
PAKISTAN : WEAKENING OF THE DEFENCES
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to the debates on the Honourable Mr. P. N. Sapru’s Resolution regarding recruitment of all classes to the Indian Army and the Honourable Mr. Sushil Kumar Roy Chaudhary’s Resolution regarding Military training for Indians, on the 13th March 1935 and 21st February
1938 respectively.
This conspiracy of silence on the part of the Government of India, was quite recently broken by the Secretary of State for India, who came forward to give the fullest information on this most vital and most exciting subject, in answer to a question in the House of Commons. From his answer given on
8th July 1943 we know the existing communal and provincial composition of the Indian Army to be as follows :—
I. Provincial Composition of the Indian Army
| Province | Percentage | Province | Percen- tage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Punjab 2. U.P. 3. Madras Presidency 4. Bombay Presidency 5. N. W. F. Province 6. Ajmere & Merwara | 50 15 10 10 5 3 | 7. Bengal Presidency 8. C.P. & Berar 9. Assam 10. Bihar 11. Orissa 12. Nepal | 2 5 8 |
II. Communal Composition of the Indian Army
Muslims 34 p.c.
Hindus & Gurkhas 50 p.c.
Sikhs 10 p.c.
Christians & The Rest 6 p.c.
The information given by the Secretary of State is indeed very welcome. But, this is the war-time composition of the Indian Army. The peace-time composition must be very different. It rested on the well-known distinction between the Martial and Non-Martial Races. That distinction was abolished during the War. There is, however, no certainty that it will not be revived