This full-scale study of Punjabi politics since Indian Independence in 1947 considers the major political problem confronting virtually every new nation: how to create a functioning political system in the face of divisive internal threats. Originally published in 1966. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This book centres on the impact of the colonial state's institutions and policies towards radical politics in the Punjab pre-Partition. Focusing on the political history of the organised left, a considerable and growing force in South Asia, the book discusses the formation and activities of radical groups in colonial Punjab.

This volume provides the texts of 126 fortnightly reports and other documents sent to the Viceroy by the Governors of the Punjab or their secretaries between January 1944 and early March 1947. The years covered were crucial in the run-up to partition and the volume documents the growing strength of the Muslim League in the Punjab which was most clearly demonstrated by its resounding victory in the 1946 elections. Corresponding activity on the part of Congress and the Sikhs is also recorded. The volume details the reactions of the various communities and officials to the British constitutional initiatives made in July 1945, March-June 1946 and February 1947. It concludes by throwing further light on the circumstances in which the coalition Ministry led by Sir Khizar Hyat Khan resigned in March 1947.