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Lahore Resolution

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Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, where the Pakistan Resolution was passed

The Lahore Resolution (Urdu: قرارداد لاھور, Qarardad-e-Lahore), commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution (Urdu: قرارداد پاکستان, Qarardad-e-Pakistan),[1] was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session on March 22–24, 1940 that called for the creation of 'independent states' for Muslims in British India. The constituent units of these states were to be autonomous and sovereign. This was later interpreted as a demand for a separate Muslim state, Pakistan.[2] The resolution was presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq.

Although the name "Pakistan" had been proposed by Choudhary Rahmat Ali in his Pakistan Declaration[3] in 1933, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other leaders had kept firm their belief in Hindu-Muslim unity.[4] However, the volatile political climate and sidelining of Muslims by Indian National Congress showed the future of the Muslims in the subcontinent not so bright[5][6] and gave the idea stronger backing.[7]

Background

With the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939, the Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow declared India's entrance into the war without consulting the provincial governments. In this situation, Jinnah called a session of the All India Muslim League to discuss the circumstances and analyze the reasons for the defeat of Muslim League in the Indian general election of 1937 in some Muslim majority provinces.

Proceedings

Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman seconding the Lahore resolution with Jinnah chairing the session

The session was held between March 22 and March 24, 1940, at Minto Park (now Iqbal Park), Lahore. The welcome address was made by Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Mamdot, president, All India Muslim League, Punjab. He was also chairman of the reception committee and personally bore all the expenses for the gathering. In his speech, Jinnah recounted the contemporary situation, stressing that the problem of India was no more of an inter-communal nature, but manifestly an international one.[8] According to Stanley Wolpert, this was the moment when Jinnah, the former ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, transformed himself into Pakistan's leader.[9]

According to some experts, Sikandar Hayat Khan, the chief minister of the Punjab, was the sole author of the original Lahore resolution. Sir Sikandar Hayat's Unionist Party had swept the elections in Punjab and provided support to Jinnah at the urging of Sir Mohammad Allama Iqbal resulting in the Sikander-Jinnah pact. Sir Sikandar convinced his classfellow Fazlul Haq, premier of Bengal, to support Jinnah as well. Sikandar supported the British in the Second World War at the request of Sir Winston Churchill after all of India's political parties had refused. The British promised dominion status to India after the war. After his suspicious death other players moved in. Sikandar did not envisage partition of his beloved Punjab. When he learnt of the intended partition of Punjab he rejected this outright. The strike by the Khaksaar Tahreek and subsequent killing of their workers was a spoiler and an attempt by their leader to hijack the freedom movement. The Tahreek had supported the Germans and Japanese during the war. Due to civil unrest it was decided that Sir Fazlul Haq would present the resolution. The resolution text unanimously rejected the concept of a united India on the grounds of growing inter-communal violence[10] and recommended the creation of an independent Muslim state.[11]

After the presentation of the 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 for partition. Subsequently, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab, Sardar Aurangzeb Khan Gandapur from the North-West Frontier Province, Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa from Baluchistan, and other leaders announced their support. In the same session, Jinnah also presented a resolution to condemn the Khaksar massacre of March 19, owing to a clash between the Khaksars and the police, that had resulted in the loss of 32 lives.[12]

The statement

23 March, 1940: Newspapers printed news about Lahore Resolution, demanding division of India

The Lahore resolution was actually adopted on March 24, but officially in Pakistan March 23 is considered the date of its adoption. In 1941, it became part of the Muslim League's constitution. In 1946, it formed the basis for the decision of Muslim League to struggle for one state for the Muslims.[13] The statement 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.[14]

Additionally, it stated:

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,

Pakistan resolution in the Sindh Assembly

The Sindh assembly was the first British Indian legislature to pass the resolution in favour of Pakistan. G. M. Syed, an influential Sindhi activist, revolutionary and Sufi and one of the important leaders to the forefront of the provincial autonomy movement joined the Muslim League in 1938 and presented the Pakistan resolution in the Sindh Assembly.

Commemoration

Muslim League Working Committee at the Lahore session

See also

References

  1. ^ Francis Robinson (1997), The Muslims and Partition, History Today, Vol. 47, September
  2. ^ Christoph Jaffrelot (Ed.) (2005), A History of Pakistan and Its Origins, Anthem Press, ISBN 978-1-84331-149-2
  3. ^ Choudhary Rahmat Ali, (1933), Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever?, pamphlet, published January 28. (Rehmat Ali at the time was an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge)
  4. ^ Ian Talbot (1999), Pakistan: a modern history, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-21606-8
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8211038.stm
  6. ^ Jaswant Singh. Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence.
  7. ^ Reginald Coupland (1943), Indian Politics (1936–1942), Oxford university press, London
  8. ^ Lahore Resolution (1940), Story of Pakistan website, retrieved on April 23, 2006
  9. ^ Stanley Wolpert (1984), Jinnah of Pakistan. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-503412-7
  10. ^ Muhammad Aslam Malik (2001), The Making of the Pakistan Resolution, Oxford University Press, Delhi. ISBN 0-19-579538-5
  11. ^ Syed Iftikhar Ahmed (1983), Essays on Pakistan, Alpha Bravo Publishers, Lahore, OCLC 12811079
  12. ^ Nasim Yousaf (2004), Pakistan's Freedom & Allama Mashriqi: Statements, Letters, Chronology of Khaksar Tehrik (Movement), Period Mashriqi's birth to 1947. page 123. AMZ Publications. ISBN 0-9760333-0-5
  13. ^ I H Qureshi, (1965), Struggle for Pakistan, Karachi
  14. ^ I H Qureshi, (1992), A Short History of Pakistan. University of Karachi, Reprint of 1967 edition. ISBN 969–404–008–6
  15. ^ Stanford M. Mirkin (1966), What Happened when: A Noted Researcher's Almanac of Yesterdays, I. Washburn, New York. OCLC 390802 (First published in 1957 under title: When did it happen?)

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