Jinnah understood from Prime Minister Attlee's announcement that now no one can stop Pakistan from being formed, yet he wanted to keep himself ready for every situation. Jinnah was cleverly preparing the Muslims for a bloody civil war in the unlikely event that the creation of Pakistan was not accepted. His next move was very decisive.
He knew that he would not get through the political speeches given on the forums of the Pakistan Muslim League. Pakistan will get the bright and sharp weapons of the Muslim National Guard, which it was preparing for the last seven years and it had already successfully used the weapons in direct action.
In the Muslim League session of Bombay on 15 June 1940, directions were issued to the provincial Muslim Leagues to organize and strengthen the Muslim National Guard for the protection of life and property of the Muslims. From then on it was clear that the Muslim League was about to start a civil war sooner or later.
The Muslim National Guard was trained in fighting, stabbing and assault with a variety of weapons. A large number of weapons were collected for this army and the disbanded Muslim soldiers of the Indian Army were recruited into the League's army. This army continued to expand and be equipped with military equipment.
Its two organizations were formed, one was the Muslim League Volunteer Corp and the other was the Muslim National Guard. The National Guard was a secret organization of the Muslim League. Its membership was secret and it had its own training centers and headquarters where its members were given military training and instructions that would benefit them in times of riots, such as the use of sticks, spears and knives. 'Salar' to unit commanders of Muslim National Guard was called.
The tall soldiers of the National Guard, armed with weapons, used to stay around Jinnah to protect him. In January 1947, the Punjab Police raided the Lahore office of the Muslim National Guard, and a large number of steel helmets, badges and military equipment were recovered from there.
The Muslim National Guard had its own lorries and jeeps which were used to attack Hindu and Sikh areas and to rob single passengers. People of the Muslim National Guard used to carry petrol with them, which was used in arson.
In April 1947, Akhtar Hussain, the principal secretary to the Punjab government, reported to the governor of Punjab that the Muslim League had recruited 5,630 guards. Reports 15 days later said that the number of the Muslim League's National Guard is now about 39,000.
Along with making armed preparations, the Muslim League began to pressurize the governments and legislatures running in the provinces which it wanted to include in the future Pakistan. Muslims did not have a majority in Assam, but still the Muslim League wanted to include it in Pakistan.
The Muslim League started expelling the Hindus from these provinces so that the Hindus themselves would get fed up and give the Pakistan their desired Pakistan. At the time when the country's wealth was being divided between Pakistan and India in the interim government, the Muslim League was trying to make the Lord Mountbatten plan a failure.
Mr. Jinnah and Gandhiji made a joint statement and asked the constituents of both the communities to maintain mutual friendship. At least this statement from the Muslim League was tantamount to throwing dust in the eyes of the Hindus. The Muslim League disregarded that statement and started making efforts that those areas of India which Jinnah wanted in Pakistan and which were not given to Pakistan according to the Mountbatten plan, should be taken over.
For the last 10 years in Punjab, there was a joint government of Malik Khizir Hayat Khan of the Unionist Party, which included Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. The law and order in Punjab deteriorated so much by the League's activists, that on March 2, 1947, Hayat Khan's government had to resign and the governor got the Muslim League government formed.