The Occupation of Bantva and Kutiyana By Abdur Razzaq Thaplawala

Bantva and Kutiyana – presently part of Indian province of Gujrat were the home towns of the big business magnets of the Memon community in the sub-continent before its partition. When Muslim League decided to launch its own English Daily and constituted a Press Fund in 1940, Quaid-e-Azam visited Kathiawar which included Junagadh and Manavadar States to collect money for Press Fund. Bantva was a small town with a population about 20,000 peoples at that time but Quaid-e-Azam not only visited this town but stayed there for three days to collect funds from individual business magnets. It is said that the 90% of Muslim League Press Fund was contributed by Memon community of Kathiawar.

Old Karachi port,many Memons Migrated to Pakistan Via Karachi Port

At the time of partition, Bantva was part of the princely state of Manavadar. The rulers of Manavadar were indecisive about joining either of the two newly created dominions. The Muslim residents of Bantva, who mainly belonged to Memon community organized a big public meeting in early September, 1947, demanding accession of Manavadar including Bantva with Pakistan and formed a delegation to meet the rulers of Bantva & Manavadar. The delegation consisting of dignitaries of Memon community met darbars of Bantva & Khan of Manavadar on 9^th September, 1947.

On the persuasion of the subjects of the state, Manavadar accounced its accession to Pakistan on 25^th September, 1947. This was naturally not acceptable to Indian Government which sent two companies of its armed forces to Bantva under the command of Col. Himmayat Singhjee on 3^rd October, 1947. The invading forces took over all government offices and declared Bantva as a part of Indian union. Army pickets were established at various places in Bantva. On the same day Sardargadh a , neighboring town of Bantva was also occupied. Manavadar was occupied on 23^rd October, 1947, and the rulers were arrested and taken away first to Jamnagar and then to Rajkot.

Night time curfew was imposed in Bantva immediately after its takeover. In the meantime, more army enforcement kept arriving to strengthen the occupation forces. Muslims were prevented from sacrificing cows  on Idul Zoha and also from saying Id prayers in main Idgah.

Before the occupation of Junagadh State on 9^th November, 1947, the 8^th Sikh regiment reached Kutiyana on 7^th November, 1947. More forces  consisting of 40 trucks and 50 jeeps also joined the Sikh regiment on 8^th November, 1947 to occupy Kutiyana. Many Muslims of Kutiyana laid their lives.

On 10^th November, 1947, the population of Kutiyana was attacked by the personnel. They broke in the houses and took away all currency, jewellery, valuables clothing etc.

In the meanwhile, uneasy calm prevailed in Bantva whose residents knew that they were the next target. Mr. Valabh Bhai Patel, the then interior Minister of India & others made inflammatory speeches while addressing a public meeting in Junagadh on 13^thNovember, 1974 against Muslims in general and Memon community of Bantva in particular which had made handsome contribution to the Press Fund of Muslim League when Quaid-e-Azam visited Bantva in 1940. These speeches added fuel to fire and the population of bantva was attacked in the midnight of 15^th November, 1947. The attackers mainly consisted of farm labour of adjoining villages. They broke open the doors of houses with their axes and took away everything which they could lay hand on including. No Muslim could help his follow Muslims because Muslims were not allowed to come out of their homes to help their fellow brothers by the curfew enforcing army. The cries of help from men and women raised by the residents whose houses were being attacked are still remembered by this writer inspite of his young age at that time.

The entire population of Bantva was in a state of shock and helplessness. They left their houses and shops with all their belongings, and migrated to Pakistan by ships through Okha port or Bombay. About 90pc of population of Bantva & Kutiyana had left their birth place within next 15 days.

As a result of atrocities committed on the members of community in Bantva and Kutiyana, the Memons from other towns and cities including Dhoraji, Jetpur, Gondal, Upleta, Mangrol, Jamnagar etc realized that it was no longer safe for them to continue living is their home towns. Majority of them, therefore, migrated to Pakistan. They were helped to settle in Karachi and other towns of Sindh by Memon Relief Committee formed in Karachi.

The migration of Memon community from Kathiawar proved to be a blessing in disguise for Pakistan’s Economy. Using the capital brought by them from India and blending it with their business acumen and entrepreneur skills the Memons started working for the development of Pakistan. The beginning was made with establishment of trading firms with branches in various places in East & West Pakistan. Then they moved into industry. A journey started towards setting of up industries in different fields and making Pakistan a viable economy.

Immediately after partition two books were written one by Dr. Rajindra Parshad, the first President of India and Dr. Ambedkar, the author of Indian Constitution. Both the authors predicted the non viability of Pakistan. Even Mr. Naheru, had predicted that Pakistan would never be economically viable and will ultimately seek re-union with India. It was this thinking which led India to withhold Rs. 55 crores which was Pakistani share in the assets of British India.

What role did the Memons play to prove that these predications of Indian leaders were nothing but false hopes can be judge by the following quotation from Mr. Stephen R. Lewis who wrote as follows in his book ‘Pakistan’s Industrial and Trade Policies’.

“It is wonder that Pakistan’s economy survived at all in the early years. Why did it survive ? it was because of the entrepreneur skills of Muslim community who had migrated to Pakistan from their original homeland in India and prominent among them were Memons. If Pakistan beat the economic odds, then a great deal of credit goes to the Memons."