Divide-and-rule was reinforced by annoyance at the Congress-led independence movement. It was to deny gains to the Congress that Khizr was let down at the Simla Conference of 1945. This betrayal of a loyal ally was a fillip to the League’s hard line and a signal for sharper polarization in Punjab. Human and understandable as it was, imperial pique contributed to the 1947 carnage and helped destroy a Punjab the British had done much to build.
