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From March 22 to March 24, 1940,
the All India Muslim League held its annual session at Minto Park, Lahore. This
session proved to be historical.
On the first day of the session,
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah narrated the events of the last few months.
In an extempore speech he presented his own solution of the Muslim problem. He said that the problem of India was not of an inter-communal nature, but manifestly an
international one and must be treated as such. 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 Quaid-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".
On the basis of the above mentioned
ideas of the Quaid, A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq, the then Chief Minister of Bengal,
moved the historical resolution which has since come to be known as Lahore Resolution
or Pakistan 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 in 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".
It further reads, "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".
Concept of United India and recommended
the creation of an independent Muslim state consisting of Punjab, N. W. F. P., Sindh
and Baluchistan in the northwest, and Bengal and Assam in the northeast. The Resolution
was seconded by Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab, Sardar Aurangzeb from the N.
W. F. P., Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa from Baluchistan, along with
many others.
The Resolution was passed on March
24. It 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.
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