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Writer Mod Date & Time
PARTITION: Tape 35 (cont) 255MODEM 255MODEM Mar 12 08:12
Side B
ABID ZAIDI
interviewed at his Delhi home near Jamia Millia, 11 March 1997
a central govt worker in 1947, (from Haryana, tho ancestral lands
in Pataudi) living in Jamia Millia area, and involved with other
Jamia Millia people in helping Delhi Muslims coupled in refugee
camps at Purana Qila and Humayun's Tomb awaiting transport to
Pakistan
lives in Mustafa Lodge on the edge of the Jamia Millia campus, an
elegant house with a beautiful garden built by his elder brother
(still living there also) in the 1940s. A brother and sister (both
dead) moved to Pakistan, but Abid - balding, with glasses but
relentlessly outgoing and cheerful - has no regrets at all about
staying in Delhi.
5 > Abid's elder brother (not able to speak easily)
18 - 'influx of refugees from W Punj ... went to occupy
homes in 3 localities, Karolbagh, Paharganj and
Sabzi Mandi; M comm was there; they were evac'd and
they come over to Old Fort and H'n's Tomb ... it was
the rainy season, August and Sept 47; they were
shelterless ... canvasses were brought ... then the govt
arranged to give them ration; Jamia people ... a lorry
from Jamia used to go there about ten, got the rations,
and used to distribute them to the M refugees'
52 - 'they were forced [into the camps]; nobody wants to leave
his home and hearth so easily, and whoever resisted
was killed there ... by the Punjabis, Sikhs were in the
forefront ... a few people tried to resist, they were
killed'
75 - [re refugees] 'after that they migrated to Pak, there was
no other alternative; the goct cd not resettle them in
D so ult ... they went to Pak ... many of us did not
like to go to Pak ... so many Ms did not like to go to
Pak'
88 - 'I was a cental govt employee (in 47) ... I had an option
ton go to Pak or remain in I; I settled to remain in I
along with my brother and my mother and my family mbrs
... there were ideol diff's, I did not want to divide my
family ...so ult I decided to remain in I, so I'm Indian
by option'
101 - [some of people in camps didn't want to go to Pak?] 'of
course so many didn't like to but they were forced to,
there was no alt before them, the govt couldn't settle
them, there was so much disorder ... there were so many
killing there ... this atmos, who'd like to stay here'
112 - [state of camps] 'in the open, they were settled, some
rafters were got for them, and they put some canvas
there; cos they were rainy days ... they stayed here
up to Nov'
121 - 'at the Old Fort there's a railway line; special trains
were brought there and then they were taken tot Pak'
127 - 'there were thousands of persons there, thousand's;
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