THIS refers to the 75 Years Ago section`s piece `Monstrous proposal` (May 12). The statement of the Quaid-i-Azam carried in the news report of May 12, 1947 is eye-opening and should clarify several matters related to the much debated partition of India.

First, as we see in the news reports from this day and weeks before, only a few months before August, the plan for independence of India was still unclear.

In fact, it appears that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Muslim League and Congress, all believed that the British were to stay for at least one more year.

As we know, the June 3, 1947, plan came as a shock to all. The prelude to the June 3, 1947, as reported in newspapers, is astounding, to say the least.

Second, the partition of Punjab and the Bengalprovinces and the subsequent human suffering is often blamed on the Muslim League, especially in the Indian version of the period`s history. I believe this news report completely exonerates the Quaid-i-Azam and the Muslim League.

As the Quaid put it, Sardar Patel was responsible for pushing the idea of partition of Punjab and Bengal. The Muslim League opposed it. The Quaid called it a `sinister plan` in May 1947.

The last paragraph of the news report ` .

that the non-Muslim minorities there will not receive fair treatment ... because the Muslims will be in a majority` is another eye-opener. The Congress, on the one side, was assuring the British and the Muslims that the Muslims will be safe under a Hindu majority, but was making a reverse argument for minorities in a Muslim majority.

The mistrust and hypocrisy of the Congress and the Indian version of the history is most apparent in this one news report. History really opens one`s eyes.

Bilal Allawala Karachi