ment of a “free demo cratic state in Palestine with adequate protection of
Jewish rights.”^44 The need to seek an accommodation between Arab and
Jewish rights dominated Rahman’s functions in the UNSCOP.
Nehru did not forget the controversies surrounding Asaf Ali’s role at
the Special Session and was determined to avoid same mistakes. There-
fore, he advised Rahman:
We [India] should proceed, especially in this fact- fi nding committee,
in a judicial manner as far as possible. It might be desirable not to say
too much and to make any par tic u lar commitments at this stage....
You will function as the representative of India on this committee and will
naturally refer to us any par tic u lar matters that you think should be
cleared up. But you will also be a representative of the United Nations
Or ga ni za tion, free to suggest what you consider fi t and proper from
the larger viewpoint of that Or ga ni za tion as well as of the Arabs and
the Jews.^45The message was clear. As India’s representative, Rahman should seek
New Delhi’s prior consent on any substantive matter and should refrain
from adopting positions that might jeopardize India’s interests. This
was very diff erent from the free hand that Iran gave to its UNSCOP
representative.
Rahman’s per for mance was also severely undermined and aff ected by
events back home. The issue of India’s partition fi gured prominently both
in the testimonies and in his private conservations with other members of
the committee. Refl ecting on his Indian counterpart, the Guatemalan
delegate Jorge Garcia- Granados remarked: “Throughout the following
days, when we fi nally came to debate the merits of partitioning Palestine,
Sir Abdur (as I was to learn later) labored under great strain, worrying as
to the safety of his family in the post- partition riots in India.”^46 The im-
pending division of India also raised certain doubts in Rahman’s mind
concerning his legal status. He felt that he was an international personal-
ity and not India’s representative. In his very fi rst report on the activities
of the committee, he informed Nehru that some of his colleagues had en-
quired “as to what the legal position of India would be after the division.”
He was confi dent that his position would not be compromised, because “I
was nominated by the United Nations although on the recommendation
of the Indian government, at a time when India was a member of the United
Nations.”^47
the partition of palestine 95