THE INDIAN PRINCES
Snt,—The splendid response of the Indian Princes to the call to arms has been of outstanding importance in the defence of India and the Empire. In particular, his Exalted Highness the Nizam, ruler of the great State of Hyderabad, has deserved well of the Commonwealth for e lead he has given to princely India. The war effort of Hyderabad as indeed been on such a scale that the Prime Minister himself recently ade a public announcement of recognition. With such a record of rvice in the present crisis, the Hyderabad Government had every reason o expect approval rather than criticism from the British Press. All the
eater, then, was the surprise and annoyanceoin official and unofficial ircles in Hyderabad at the publication's in one or two British journals of
tracts from an opprobrious article casting aspersiOns on the character the Nizam which appeared in a New York paper a few months ago.
The hundred million Muslimsapf India look on Hyderabad as their
Ilying-point. For this reason, ilr-informed attacks on his Exalted High- ess cause intense resentment to Indian Muslims and do not make any tier a solution of the Hindu-Muslim problem. What Britain owes to yderabad and its Nizams should not be forgotten. In the Mutiny, the taunchness of the then Nizam to the British alliance saved the situation
South India ; the present Nizam's appeal to Indian Muslims in 1954 11 the entry of Turkey into the war was of great value in steadying
uslim opinion in India.
Modern Hyderabad is the creation of the past twenty-five years of the esent Nizam's period of rule, and owes much of its progress to his bility and choice of Ministers, such, for example, as the late Sir Mbar ydari. Here it may be noted that His Excellency the Viceroy, during a event visit to Hyderabad, paid a tribute to the policy of the Nizam's 'vernment in the social and economic fields, especially commending it five-year plan to provide free primary education in every village
of more than a thousand inhabitar.ts. Is it too much to ask that Indian Princes, like the Nizam, who are rendering such unstinted service to the Empire in these dark days should not be exposed to unfair and sensa- tional attacks in the British Press?—I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
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