A landmark moment in the history of India

The Muslim League and its accredited leader, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was once called the Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity, had preferred to remain within the framework of a United India till the mid-thirties. With the introduction of political reforms in India by the British, the Muslims realised that they would become a permanent minority in a democratic system and it would never be possible for them to protect their fundamental rights. They only constituted one fourth of the total Indian population and were much smaller in number than the majority Hindu community. In order to protect their political, social and religious rights and interests, they first demanded separate electorates.

The Muslamans received some safeguards through a system of separate electorates but as a result of elections, and the victory of Congress and its subsequent formation of a government in seven out of eleven provinces and their oppressive rule shocked Muslims to rethink the issue of a United India. The Congress Ministries remained in power from July 1937 to November 1939. During their short stay in office, they humiliated Muslims, their history, culture, rites and rituals and religion. They encouraged the activities of the Mahasabha, hoisted and adopted the tricolor flag as a national flag, sang Vande Matram, made it a national anthem and compelled Muslims to sing the same, introduced the Vidya Mandir Scheme in the Central Provinces and the Wardha Scheme of education. Moreover, during rule by the Congress party, communal riots increased to an unprecedented number in those provinces where it was in an absolute majority. Urdu was attacked and opposed. Sanskrit was encouraged among the masses as well as in educational institutions.

The Muslims realised that under the prevailing democratic form of government, they would remain a permanent minority and would be treated as Shudars (Untouchables) in a United India. They felt that even the right of separate electorates would not be enough and they had to search for some other long term solution. These were all interpreted as proof of Congress atrocities. So the Congress was clearly incapable of representing Muslim interests.

Thinking that they could not maintain their rights and could not protect their interests in the presence of a Hindu majority, the Provincial Muslim League of UP passed a resolution demanding a separate homeland for the Muslims of India. All these resolutions were dispatched to the Central Office of the AIML, which started the pre-partition era, beginning with putting forward the demand for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent in its next annual session at Lahore in 1940.

By 1938-9, the idea of separation was strongly gaining ground. The Sindh Provincial Muslim League Conference in its session held at Karachi on 7 to 9 October 1938 adopted a resolution which recommended to the AIML to devise a constitutional scheme under which Muslims may attain full independence. The All India Muslim League set up a committee to examine the partition proposals and submit a detailed report highlighting the possibilities of a separate homeland for the Muslims of India. The Committee included the Quaid-i-Azam as Chairman, Liaquat Ali Khan (Convener), Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, Nawab Muhammad Ismail Khan and Syed Abdul Aziz.

Addressing a meeting of the Council of the AIML held on Sunday, the 25th of February 1940, the Quaid declared, “The people ask me what is our goal. If you do not understand that even now, then I say you will never understand what our goal is. The whole question is very simple. Great Britain wants to rule India. Gandhi and the Congress want to rule India and the Musalmans. We say that we will not let either the British or Gandhi to rule the Musalmans. We want to be free”. He asked the Musalmans to organise themselves and wished the members present to convey the message of the League and what it stood for.

The idea of separation was more vividly expressed by M.A. Jinnah. In an article published in the London based weekly Time & Tide on 9 March 1940, Jinnah wrote, “Democratic systems based on the concept of a homogeneous nation such as England are very definitely not applicable to heterogeneous countries such as India, and this simple fact is the root cause of all of India’s constitutional ills... If, therefore, it is accepted that there is in India a major and a minor nation, it follows that a parliamentary system based on the majority principles must inevitably mean the rule of majority nation. Experience has proved that, whatever the economic and political programme of any political party, the Hindu, as a general rule, will vote for his caste fellow, the Muslim for his coreligionist”.

Furthermore, he added, “Is it the desire (of British people) that India should become a totalitarian Hindu State... and I feel certain that Muslim India will never submit to such a position and will be forced to resist it with every means in their power”. In his concluding remarks, Jinnah wrote, “While Muslim League irrevocably opposed to any federal objective which must necessarily result in a majority community rule under the guise of democracy and Parliamentary System of Government...

To conclude, a constitution must be evolved that recognises that there are in India two nations who both must share the governance of their common motherland”.

The Quaid who preferred to remain within the framework of a Federation of India, now vehemently and categorically stated that India is not a one nation. Jinnah publicly declared that the Muslims can expect neither justice nor fair play under a Congress Government. The majority of Muslims all over India now shared this sentiment.

From the above statements of the Quaid, it is quite clear that the League Resolution was not abruptly adopted on the suggestion of the British Viceroy as some people think, but in fact was the outcome of circumstances which compelled the Muslims under the dynamic leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam to demand a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.

A programme to hold the AIML Session at Lahore was circulated amongst League leaders. Following this, the Quaid-i-Azam left for Lahore via a special train decorated with the Muslim League’s green flags and its emblem, engine garlanded and flags mounted. The Quaid was accompanied by his sister and Liaquat All Khan.

The Working Committee of AIML met in the League Pandal at Minto Park on Friday March 22-24, 1940. The various draft texts for the final resolution were deliberated over by the Special Working Committee of the AIML.

On March 23-24, 1940, the famous Resolution which came to be known as the Pakistan Resolution was moved and unanimously passed.

The Resolution demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims. The statement of the Resolution reads, “No constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, namely that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute “Independent States” in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.”

The Hindu press such as Partab, Milap Tribune etc and Hindu leaders described the resolution as the demand for the creation of Pakistan. They characterised it as the vivisection of India and called the Pakistan demand anti-national. Some people began to call it the Pakistan Resolution soon after the Lahore Session of AIML. The word Pakistan’ was not used in the Resolution. It was the Hindu press that intentionally or unintentionally and out of jealousy and mockery used the name “Pakistan” and damned the resolution. In fact, the Congress dominated press fathered that word.

In 1943, the Lahore Resolution paved the way for the Sindh Legislative Assembly to demand the creation of Pakistan. G. M. Sayed moved a resolution which was passed by the Sindh Assembly. In 1946, it formed the basis for the decision of the Muslim League to struggle for one state for the Muslims.

The Pakistan Resolution is, undoubtedly the landmark event that most changed the course of Indian history and left deep and permanent marks on world history. With the passage of this Resolution, Muslims changed their demand from separate electorate to a separate homeland and set Pakistan as their ultimate goal. It gave a new energy and courage to the Muslims of the region who gathered around the Muslim League under the capable leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam to fight for their freedom. The dynamic leadership of the Quaid and his commitment and devotion made it possible to achieve an independent state within seven years of the struggle.

– The writer is Director, Quaid-i-Azam Academy, Karachi