My day was spent receiving delegation after delegation who presented us with memoranda of protest demanding we guarantee the life, limb and property of our minorities. I received all of them in my office and gave them every opportunity to ventilate their grievances.

There was one amusing incident. The mayor of Hyderabad Sind, from the Jama’at-e-Islami, asked if his delegation might take a photograph of me handing over their memorandum of protest. As the photographer was about to click, I stopped him and politely said to the mayor, ‘Aise mauke par muskurate nahin hain.’ (On such occasions, one does not smile.)He did not take it amiss.