I had, therefore, on option but to resign when certain fundamental principles were violated, as already pointed out in my letter of resignation dated 11th March 1962. to which you sent me an immediate signal to say that as the matter required personal discussion you proposed discussing it with me during your visit to Hast Pakistan, which you did but I declined to continue as Governor and stuck to my decision to resign, wishing to be relieved at the earliest.
A month later you sent me a letter appreciating my work and whilst regretfully accepting my resignation you made the following suggestion: “Regulations permit me to give you four months' leave minus 19 days that you have availed of. Will you, therefore, please let me know if you wish to avail of it. This is urgent as I propose to make a formal announcement of these changes soon so as to slop unnecessary speculations.”
My immediate reply may kindly be noted-
“Thanks for your letter of 12th April. I appreciate the kind remarks which you have made about my services to the country during my tenure of office. As I have repeatedly emphasized both in correspondence and discussions, my resignation is motivated by my very strong views on matters of principle, which, for me effectively outweigh the attractions of high office, and my anxiety is thus to be relieved with the least possible delay, although if it proves impossible to arrange for my successor to join before the 10th May, I shall in deference to your request stay on until then. As regards your enquiry whether I should like to take leave after handing over charge, I am fully aware of my rights under the regulations, but, since I am resigning on point of principle. I did not intend to avail myself of my leave concessions.”
You must not lose sight of the fact that I went to East Pakistan as your representative, and under the extraordinary circumstances prevailing during the Martial Law. I had also to represent and fight for the problems and just demands of the people at the Governors' conferences which were held for this very reason. If I had behaved like the glorified Agent of a bureaucratic Government of the British times, East Pakistan would have been justified in their oft repeated complaint that they were treated like a colony.
I tried my best to bring you close to the people. I very well remember that when you visited Last Pakistan after the great cyclone to assess the situation for yourself. I naturally thought that you would be more anxious than myself to see the affected area and say a word of cheer to the men, women and children to raise their morale. So I arranged a tour for you, but in that part of the world the only means of getting to the Islands is by helicopter and I have never regretted anything so much as asking you to visit these places because for months I had to correspond with your Military Secretary and Air Marshal to explain as to why I had taken the risk of putting you on a helicopter.
I did not desire to seek popularity. My anxiety was only to help the afflicted in their hours of distress during the natural calamities that overtook the Province, as well as in the implementation of the development plans. My sincere effort regardless of my personal
