With the introduction of
political reforms in India by the British, the Muslims realized 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 lesser in number than the
majority Hindu community. In order to protect their political, social and
religious rights they first demanded for separate electorates. However, due to
the political developments that took place in the country they realized that
even the right of separate electorates would not be enough and they had to
search for some other long term solution.
Muhammad Iqbal, the poet philosopher in his famous Allahbad address made it
clear that Islam has its own social and economic system and in order to
implement it a political entity was required. When Jinnah came back to India in
order to reorganize Muslim League and to make it a political party of the Muslim
masses, he got the opportunity to interact with Iqbal. Iqbal through his letters
tried to persuade Jinnah that the only solution available was a separate state
for the Indian Muslims where they could spend their lives according to the
teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). Though Jinnah was
convinced by late 1930s, but being a realist he was not ready to announce the
new plan until he was confident that the vast majority of the Muslims were
behind him. Overwhelming support from the Muslim masses for his call to
celebrate Day of Deliverance on December 22, 1939 was actually a vote of
confidence given by the Muslim Community in the leadership of Jinnah, whom they
by then had started considering as their Quaid-i-Azam.
Organization
With the clarity of mind and backing of the Muslim community behind him,
Quaid-i-Azam called for the 27th annual session of All India Muslim League to be
held from March 22 to 24, 1940 at Lahore. Sir Shah Nawaz Khan of Mamdot was made
the head of the reception committee and Main Bashir Ahmad was nominated as
secretary of the session. Prominent leaders including Chaudhry Khaliquzzam,
Nawab Muhammad Ismail Khan, Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang, A.K. Fazlul Haq, Sardar
Abdur Rab Nishtar, Abdullah haroon, Qazi Muhammad Isa, I.I. Chundrigar, Sardar
Aurangzeb Khan, Khawaja Nazimuddin, Abdul Hashim and Malik Barkat Ali etc.
attended the session.
Khaksar Tragedy
Due to the Khaksar Tragedy that took place on March 19, Sir Sikandar Hayat and
others tried to persuade Jinnah to postpone the session but the determined Quaid
was not ready for it. In order to participate in the session, he reached Lahore
by train on March 21. He went straight to Mayo Hospital to see the wounded
Khaksars. By doing so he managed to handle well the issue of Khaksar
disturbances. On his arrival Jinnah told the print media that the All India
Muslim League will make historic decision in the upcoming session.
Quaid-i-Azam’s Address
The venue of the session was Minto Park near Badshahi Masjid and Lahore Fort.
The inaugural session was planned at around three in the afternoon on March 22.
People started coming from the morning and by the afternoon the park was jam
packed. According to a rough estimate around 100,000 attended the public
meeting. In the beginning of the session, the welcome address was presented by
the Nawab of Mamdot. This was followed by the historical speech of
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The Quaid in his two hours presidential address in English narrated the events
that took place in the past few months and concluded, “Hindus and the Muslims
belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs and literature.
They neither inter-marry nor inter-dine together, and, indeed, they belong to
two different civilizations that are based mainly on conflicting ideas and
conceptions. Their concepts on life and of life are different. It is quite clear
that Hindus and Muslims derive their inspiration from different sources of
history. They have different epics, different heroes and different episodes.
Very often the hero of one is a foe of the other, and likewise, their victories
and defeats overlap. To yoke together two such nations under a single state, one
as a numerical minority and the other as a majority, must lead to growing
discontent and final destruction of any fabric that may be so built up for the
government of such a state.” He further claimed, “Mussalmans are a nation
according to any definition of a nationhood. We wish our people to develop to
the fullest spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life in a way
that we think best and in consonance with our own ideals and according to the
genius of our people”.
During his speech the Quaid quoted the letter written by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1924
to C.R. Das in which he clearly mentioned that the Hindus and the Muslims were
two separate and distict nationas which could never be merged into a single
nation. When Malik Barkat Ali claimed that Lala Lajpat Rai was a “Nationalist
Hindu leader”, Quaid responded, “No Hindu can be a nationalist. Every Hindu is a
Hindu first and last.”
The Resolution
On March 23, A.K. Fazul Haq, the Chief Minister of Bengal, moved the historical
Lahore Resolution. The Resolution consisted of five paragraphs and each
paragraph was only one sentence long. Although clumsily worded, it delivered a
clear message. The resolution declared:
“While approving and endorsing the action taken by the Council and the Working
Committee of the All-India Muslim League, as indicated in their resolutions
dated the 27th of August, 17th and 18th of September and 22nd of October, 1939,
and 3rd of February 1940, on the constitutional issue, this session of the
All-India Muslim League emphatically reiterates that the scheme of Federation
embodied in the Government of India Act, 1935 is totally unsuited to, and
unworkable in the peculiar conditions of this country and is altogether
unacceptable to Muslim India.
It further records its emphatic view that while the declaration dated the 18th
of October, 1939, made by the Viceroy on behalf of His Majesty’s Government is
reassuring in so far as it declares that the policy and plan on which the
Government of India Act, 1935 is based will be reconsidered in consultation with
the various parties, interests and communities in India, Muslim India will not
be satisfied unless the whole constitutional plan is reconsidered de novo and
that no revised plan would be acceptable to the Muslims unless it is framed with
their approval and consent.
Resolved that it is the considered view of this session of the All-India Muslim
League that 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.
That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically
provided in the constitution for minorities in these units and in these regions
for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political,
administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them; and in
other parts of India where Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and
mandatory safeguard shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and
other minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic,
political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with
them.
This session further authorizes the Working Committee to frame a scheme of
constitution in accordance with these basic principles, providing for the
assumption finally by the respective regions of all powers such as defence,
external affairs, communications, customs and such other matters as may be
necessary”.
Besides many others, the Resolution was seconded by Chaudhary Khaliquzzam from
UP, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab, Sardar Aurangzeb from the N. W. F. P,
Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Muhammad Esa from Baluchistan. Those
who seconded the resolution, in their speeches declared the occasion as a
historic one. The Resolution was eventually passed on the last day of the moot,
i.e. March 24.
Controversies
The name Pakistan was not used in the resolution and the official name of the
resolution was Lahore Resolution. It was the Hindu newspapers including Partap,
Bande Matram, Milap, Tribune etc., who ironically coined the name Pakistan
Resolution. However, the idea was appreciated by the Muslim masses and the
Resolution is more known as Pakistan Resolution. Secondly, the Government and
people of Pakistan wrongly celebrate March 23 as a national day in Pakistan. The
actual day when the resolution was passed was March 24. It was only presented on
March 23. Lastly, it the word “states” and not “state” was mentioned in the
Resolution. It means that the authors of the Resolution were foreseeing two
separate states in the north-western and eastern zones of India. But if one has
a good look at the developments that followed, he or she would come to the
conclusion that either the word “states” was included as a mistake or the League
leadership soon had a second thought to their idea. A Resolution passed at the
1941 Madras session of the League stated, “Everyone should clearly understand
that we are striving for one independent and sovereign Muslim State.” In all the
speeches that Quaid delivered, he also used the word “an independent homeland”
or “an independent Muslim state”.
Hindu Reaction
The Hindu reaction was, of course, quick, bitter and malicious. They called the
“Pakistan” demand “anti-national.” They characterized it as “vivisection; above
all, they denounced it as imperialist – inspired to obstruct India’s march to
freedom.” In denouncing the demand outright, they, however, missed the central
fact of the Indian political situation; the astonishingly tremendous response of
the Pakistan demand had elicited from the Muslim masses. They also failed to
take cognizance of the fact that a hundred million Muslims were now supremely
conscious of their distinct nationhood and were prepared to stake everything to
actualize their self-perceived destiny – the creation of an independent Muslim
state in the sub-continent.
British Reaction
The British were equally hostile to the Muslim demand for at least two important
reasons. First, they had long considered themselves as the architects of the
unity of India and of an Indian nation. Second, they had long regarded the
super-imposed unity under tax Britannica as their greatest achievement and
lasting contribution in history. And the Pakistan demand threatened to undo
these presumed achievements on which the British had long prided. However,
despite the Hindu denunciation and the British alarm, the course of Muslim,
indeed Indian, politics was from now on firmly set towards Pakistan.
Conclusion
The All India Muslim League Resolution of March 1940, commonly known as the
Pakistan Resolution, is undoubtedly the most important event that changed the
course of Indian history and left deep marks on the world history. With the
passage of this Resolution, the Muslims of the sub-continent changed their
demand from “Separate Electorates” to a “Separate State.” This Resolution
rejected the idea of a United India and the creation of an independent Muslim
state was set as their ultimate goal. It gave new energy and courage to the
Muslims of the region who gathered around Quaid-i-Azam from the platform of the
Muslim League to struggle for their freedom. The dynamic leadership of the Quaid
and the commitment and devotion of the followers made it possible for them to
achieve an independent state within seven years of their struggle, and that too
when the odds were against them.