THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

(THE PAKISTAN RESOLUTION)

“Never in the history of the world had a resolution consisting of mere four hundred words changed the destiny of a nation. The Lahore Resoulution passed at the 27^th Session of the AIML did the miracle.”

BACKGROUND

The Lahore Resolution is the most significant landmark in the history of our freedom struggle. In the month of March 1940, the Muslims of India adopted a resolution embodying their national objectives and expressing their firm commitment to make all out efforts for the achievement of these objectives. Important events and factors that led to the adoption of this Resolution are summed up here:

The Two Nation Theory: The Muslims, by virtue of their faith, are a nation separate and distinct from all other nationals of the World. Their spiritual and national aspirations could only be realized in a state which was Islamic in nature, where they could live as free citizen and could model their lives in accordance with Islamic injunctions.

Hindu Extremism: The Muslims had lived with the Hindus as neighbors and compatriots for about one thousand years. On the basis of their experience they could not expect good neighbourly treatment from the extremist Hindus, who had already made it clear that the Muslims had no place in India, they should embrace Hinduism or quit India.

Iqbal’s Allahabad Address: Delivering his presidential address at the annual session of the Muslim League held in December 1930, poet-philosopher, Allama Muhammad Iqbal said that the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent was predominantly Muslim, that Muslims living in these area for a distinct and separate national entity and that their rights in any future constitution should be determined in this light.

Oppressive Congress Rule: The two year (1937-39) tyrannical Congress Raj further disillusioned the Muslims and they were compelled to conclude that only a separate and independent Muslim homeland could guarantee their rights.

Popularity of the Muslim League: The Quaid-e-Azam kept persistently in touch with the Muslims during the oppressive-Congress rule, he was successful in impressing upon them that a horrible future lies ahead them if the Congress were entrusted authority to rule the whole of India. As a result of the Quaid-i-Azam efforts the Muslim League which had failed to attract the Muslim masses in 1937 election, emerged as the sole representative of the Muslim nation in 1945-46 election.

LAHORE SESSION OF THE MUSLIM LEAGUE

Historic Muslim League session was held in 1940 in Lahore. Addressing a rally of more than a hundred thousand people after after the Jum’a prayers on March 22, the Quaid-e-Azam Said:

“….under the plea of unity of India and one nation, which does not exist, it is sought to pursue here the line of one central government. We know that the history of the last twelve hundred ears has failed to achieve unity, and has witnessed India during the ages, always divided into Hindu India and Muslim India….Musalamans are a nation according to any definition of a nation, and they must have their homeland. We wish to live in peace and harmony with our neighbours as a free and independent people”.

ADOPTION OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

The Resolution was on moved on March 23, by the Bengal Chief Minister Mualvi Fazal-ul-Haq. The Resolution which later came to be known as the “Pakistan Resolution” was adopted in the last session of the meeting on March, 24. First Pakistan Day was celebrated on March 23, 1941.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

The Lahore Resolution embodied minimum demands regarding the political status of the Muslims in South-East Asia. The Muslims resolved in unambiguous terms that they will only accept a constitutional formula which satisfied the following Muslim demands:

a)                  Federal Scheme Disapproved: The federal scheme formulated in the Government of India Act 1935 is absolutely unsuitable for the Indian conditions. The Indian Muslim will never accept it.

b)                  Establishment of Independent States: It was clearly stated that a constitution acceptable for the Muslims of India shall be based on the following principles:

“Geographically contiguous units be demarcated into regions ….. in which the Muslims are numerically 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”.

c)                   Safeguards for Minorities: In the newly established Muslim and non-Muslim states adequate constitutional safeguards should be provided to minorities, with their consultation, for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political and administrative rights and interests.

d)                  Extent of State Sovereignty: The Resolution authorized the Muslim League Working Committee to draft a detailed constitutional scheme in the light principles stipulated in the Resolution, this schemes shall ensure that the states created under this schemes have full control over defense, foreign affairs, communication, customs and all other necessary subjects.

ANALYSIS

Following are the most notable features of the Lahore Resolution:

1.                   Word ‘ Pakistan’ was no where used in the text of the Lahore Resolution.

2.                   The Resolution did not demand one Muslim state in clear terms. The ambiguity, which was caused due to the use of plural’ states’ was removed later at Madras session of the Muslim League held in 1941. A resolution adopted at this session clearly stated, that the Muslim League stood for only one sovereign independent Muslim state.

3.                   The boundaries of the Muslim state or states were not defined in the Resolution, words like units, regions and zones were used instead.

4.                   The Resolution, was originally called Lahore Resolution but later it came to be known as Pakistan Resolution. This name was given by the hostile Hindupress and was readily picked up by the Quaid-e-Azam. In the following years the Lahore Resolution was referred to as the sole document formulating Indian Muslims unanimous national demands. The points which were left ambiguous in the Resolution were later calcified in a resolution adopted by the Muslim Representatives Convention held at Delhi in 1946.

IMPORTANCE OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

Adoption of the Lahore Resolution was, undoubtedly, a significant landmark in the history of the Muslim India. Following reasons signify its importance.

1.                   Through this Resolution, the Muslims of India set their national objectives and expressed their unflinching determination to make all out efforts for the achievement of these objectives.

2.                   Representatives of the Muslims from all over India attended the Lahore session. Events in the following years proved that Muslims had reposed full confidence in the Muslim League. Pakistan was taken up as the core issue by the Muslim League in the election manifesto it gave for the 1945-1946 elections. The Muslims rallied round the Muslim League in a great numbers and the same party which had failed at attract people in the 1937 elections, now emerged as the sole representative of the Muslim nation all over India.

3.                   The Lahore Resolution gave a direction to the political struggle of the Muslims, and within a short span of seven years’ time the Muslims were able to achieve their cherished goal: Pakistan

(The End)

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Criticism by Gandhi ‘wrote in his newspaper Harijan the Muslim would not accept the idea “ two nation theory is a lie”. We are all the children of one God

Criticism by Rajgopalachari “Mr. Jinnah step towards the partition of India is like a dispute between two brother over the ownership of a cow and the two brothers ultimately divide the cow between themselves by cutting it into two.

Criticism by Abul Kalam Azam “I must confess that the very term Pakistan goes against my grain. It suggests that some portions of the world are pure. While others are impure. Such a division of terrorities into pure and impure is unislamic and a repudiation of the very spirit of Islam”

British Press; did not attach much importance to the Lahore Resolution. The Time, The Manchester Guardian, The Daily Herald, carried brief news item about the resolution (negative remarks)

However, surprisingly, a scientific journal the Natura, made every possilble effort to understand the importance of Lahore Resolution.

The Governor of Punjab H. Craik had to admit.

. importance of AIML

. Jinnah’s own prestige had greatly risen

. Muslim opinion unanimously formed in favour of partition of India.