The annual general session of All India Muslim League held in March 1940 at Lahore proved to be an historic milestone in history during which The Pakistan Resolution was adopted. This Resolution now called Qarardad-e-Pakistan was a formal political statement adopted by the All India Muslim League that called for a separate homeland for the Muslims of British India.
All India Muslim League Working Committee March 1940
Although the idea of founding a separate state for Muslims of the Indian Sub-Continent was introduced by Allama Iqbal in 1930 and the name "Pakistan" had been proposed by Choudhary Rahmat Ali in his Pakistan Declaration in 1933, Qaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and some other Muslim leaders had kept firm belief in Hindu-Muslim unity. However, the volatile political climate and religious hostilities between Hindus and Muslims now gave stronger backing to the idea of a Muslim State.
With the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939, the Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow had declared India's joining the war without consulting the provincial governments. In this situation, Qaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah called the annual general session of the All India Muslim League in Lahore to discuss the circumstances and also analyze the reasons for poor performance of the All India Muslim League in the general elections of 1937 in some Muslim majority provinces.
The session was held between 22nd March and 24th March, 1940, at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park), Lahore. The welcome address was made by Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Mamdot.
With the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939, the Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow had declared India's joining the war without consulting the provincial governments. In this situation, Qaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah called the annual general session of the All India Muslim League in Lahore to discuss the circumstances and also analyze the reasons for poor performance of the All India Muslim League in the general elections of 1937 in some Muslim majority provinces.
The session was held between 22nd March and 24th March, 1940, at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park), Lahore. The welcome address was made by Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Mamdot.
Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Mamdot presenting address of welcome
On the first day of the session, Qaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his speech recounted the contemporary situation, stressing that the problem of India was no more of an inter-communal nature, but manifestly an international. He criticised the Congress and the nationalist Muslims, and espoused the Two-Nation Theory and the reasons for the demand for separate Muslim homelands. To him the differences between Hindus and the Muslims were so great and so sharp that their union under one central government was full of serious risks. They belonged to two separate and distinct nations and therefore the only chance open was to allow them to have separate states.
In the words of Qaid-i-Azam: "Hindus and the Muslims belong to two different religions, philosophies, social customs and literature. They neither inter-marry nor inter dine 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 said, "Mussalmans are a nation according to any definition of nation. 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".
In the words of Qaid-i-Azam: "Hindus and the Muslims belong to two different religions, philosophies, social customs and literature. They neither inter-marry nor inter dine 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 said, "Mussalmans are a nation according to any definition of nation. 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".
The draft of Resolution was prepared by Sikandar Hayat Khan, the Chief Minister of the Punjab which was placed before the Subject Committee of the All India Muslim League for discussion and amendments. The Resolution text unanimously rejected the concept of United India on the grounds of Two Nation Theory and recommended the creation of an independent Muslim state.
After the presentation of annual report by Liaquat Ali Khan, the Resolution was moved in the general session by A.K. Fazlul Huq, the Chief Minister of undivided Bengal and was seconded by Choudhury Khaliquzzaman who explained his views on the causes which led to the demand of a separate state. Subsequently, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab, Sardar Aurangzeb from the NWFP, Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa from Baluchistan, and other leaders supported the Resolution. The principle text of the Lahore Resolution was passed on 24 March.
Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman is seconding the Resolution
The Resolution declared: "No constitutional plan would be workable or acceptable to the Muslims unless geographical 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 inmajority 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".
It further read, "That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards shall be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in the units and in the regions for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights of the minorities, with their consultation. Arrangements thus should be made for the security of Muslims where they were in a minority".
constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign".
It further read, "That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards shall be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in the units and in the regions for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights of the minorities, with their consultation. Arrangements thus should be made for the security of Muslims where they were in a minority".
Quaid-i-Azam, Liaquat Ali Khan and
Nawab Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain Khan
of Mamdot at the Lahore Session 1940
The Resolution thus repudiated the concept of United India and recommended the creation of an independent Muslim state consisting of Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan in the northwest, and Bengal and Assam in the northeast.
The Resolution laid down only the principles, with the details left to be worked out at a future date. It was made a part of the All India Muslim League's constitution in 1941. It was on the basis of this resolution that in 1946 the Muslim League decided to go for one state for the Muslims, instead of two. Having passed the Pakistan Resolution, the Muslims of India changed their ultimate goal. Instead of seeking alliance with the Hindu community, they set out on a path whose destination was a separate homeland for the Muslims of India i.e. Pakistan.
Minar-i-Pakistan, Lahore, the
landmark where the historicPakistan Resolution was passed.
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