'Memoirs and Recollections of An Officer of the Indian Political Service' [‎73r] (145/156)

- 73 -
Early in November, 19A7, my turn came to be summoned to London to be interviewed for
a permanent appointment in H.M. Foreign Service, which - in company with many of my
friends - I had applied for whilst! was still in New Delhi. I was flown in a BOAC
York aircraft which duly broke down at Castel Benito in Tripolitania. But the 'technical
hitch' was righted by the following morning. A few days later I presented myself early
in the morning at Burlington House to be interviewed by the Civil Service Commissioners.
Several of us had already passed before them in the previous weeks. It was clear to me
that the Commissioners were being very choosy. Many of my friends, whose abilities
and qualifications I rated superior to my own, had failed to qualify. Some had been
successful, with the result that the number of vacancies to be filled in this special
competition reserved for us "India hands" was dwindling. I was shown into a large
room in which twenty or thirty Civil Service Commissioners were seated in a semi-circle,
facing an empty chair to be occupied by the candidate. They were a distinguished lot:
senior Foreign Service and Home Civil Service officers, ex Ambassadors, academics,
Judges, a few well-known businessmen, and even a couple of Trades Union leaders. One
had just 40 minutes to convince them of one's sterling worth and outstanding qualities!
After a few seemingly routine questions, the interrogation turned to the creation of
Pakistan. Here I was on firm ground - eminent as my examiners were, I knew more about
the situation out there than they did. They wanted to be told all about Jinnah and the
strange circumstances of his death and burial, which I had attended only a few weeks
previously. There was also the fighting in Kashmir between the semi official Pakistani
invading "Lashkars" and the regular Indian units, hurriedly flown in from India. After
all, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was himself a native of the Kashmir valley. In this
fashion the forty minues passed pleasantly enough. Two days later I received a letter
offering me a permanent appointment in H.M. Foreign Service in the rank of First
Secretary. I gratefully accepted, and returned satisfied to Karachi.
Altogether about twenty ex-members of the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. were appointed to the
Administrative Branch of the Foreign Service. Of these, nine were I.C.S. Politicals,
four were Army Politicals like myself, and two who had joined the service from the Indian
Police. Many others failed to make the grade, although they had distinguished careers
behind them. It was very much a question of luck. I should add that other members of the
old All India Services took up appointments in the Home Civil and the Colonial Services.
Some ex-Indian Police Officers made their new careers in the Security and Intelligence
Services.
I have earlier mentioned that H.M.G. withheld the cash compensation award (to which ex-
Government of India employees became entitled for loss of career) from these individ
uals who received permanent pensionable employment in the services controlled by it.
So I lost the £8,000 for which I was eligible, but gained a new career at the age of
thirty-eight and one-half years.