South Asian Muslims define goal of independence

The nation, although deeply saddened over the prevalent unfortunate state of affairs, is celebrating Pakistan Day today as the day has a great significance because of two very vital events, including one the adoption of the historic Lahore Resolution at the 27th session of All India Muslim League in Lahore on this day in 1940 that clearly defined South Asian Muslims goal of independence as well as coming into force of the 1956 Constitution under which our State became Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Lahore Resolution or it has come to be called Pakistan Resolution, moved by Bengal Premier Moulvi Fazlul Haq, said `it is resolved that it is the considered view of the session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to the Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principles, viz., that geographically contagious units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Musalmans are numerically in a majority, as in north-western and Eastern zones of India, should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign`. Quaid-i-Azam`s presidential address to the session is a landmark in the history of Muslim nationalism for it made an irrefutable case for a separate nationhood and dividing India into Muslim and Hindu states. He declared that Muslims were a nation by any definition of a nation and they must have their homelands, territory and state. The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different civilisations, religious philosophies, social customs and literatures, which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. The only course open to all was to permit the major nations to establish separate homelands by dividing India into sovereign states.
Pakistan emerged on the stroke of midnight of 14th August, 1947 (27th Ramazan, 1366) as an independent sovereign State on the world map within seven years of the adoption of the Resolution following successful culmination of the struggle of the South Asian Muslims for a separate homeland entirely due to Mohammad Ali Jinnah`s unflinching and determined efforts as well as valuable sacrifices of the Muslims.
Regrettably, since achieving an independent homeland we, particularly self-seeking ruling elite, have done nothing concrete for its promotion and solidarity and instead forgot traditions of selflessness, honesty and integrity left behind by the great Muslim leaders, including Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal. Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability. Pakistan was originally in two parts, the East Wing, now Bangladesh - and the West Wing - present-day Pakistan but due to domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations, we could not maintain its integrity which resulted in the unfortunate break-up of the hard-earned country in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking East Wing seceded with the active help of India.
Every true Pakistani whose forefathers had rendered all sorts of sacrifices for the cause of Pakistan is deeply disappointed and concerned about the prevailing deplorable inflation, corruption, lawlessness, targeted killings and frequent acts of terrorism because of misrule and wrong policies of the rulers. This sad state of affairs is prevailing only because of the fact that we have ignored the guidelines and teachings of the Founder of the Nation. The Quaid, who advocated the cause of the Muslims strongly and eloquently and gathered them under one flag of Muslim League, had stressed that Pakistan should be kept absolutely free from disorder because the outbreak of lawlessness is bound to cause irreparable damage to its future. He had forewarned the Muslims to be aware of their enemies, who do not wish well to Pakistan and would not like it to grow strong and powerful. He had been emphasising that cohesion and solidarity amongst all citizens of the country from whatever part they may come is essential for its progress, nay for its very survival.
Before the League passed its historic Pakistan Resolution, the establishment of a separate Muslim state or states in the sub-continent had been advocated by some prominent public figures. The great poet-philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal is generally credited with initiating the idea of a separation He was deeply concerned with political situation and political fortunes of the Muslim community of India although his main interests were scholarly. He provided us ideological exposition of a state, based on nationalism, dreamt of this homeland of ours, taught us how to uphold self-respect and national honour. The concept of Pakistan was provided by him in his monumental presidential address to the 21st session of All India Muslim League at Allahabad on 29th December 1930.
His Allahabad address represents an intellectual and real justification for Pakistan based on the ground realities. Defining India as a "continent of human groups belonging to different races, speaking different languages and professing different religions, he believed the Muslim demand for the creation of a Muslim India within India is, therefore, perfectly justified. Personally, "I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self-government within the British empire or without the British empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim state appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India."
Having attended the Round Table Conference in 1931 and 1932, he reiterated his apprehensions and suggested safeguards in respect of the Indian Muslims as he had become fully and keenly aware of the deep Hindu and Sikh prejudice and unaccommodating attitude as well as the mind of the British Government. His apprehensions were borne out when the Congress assumed power after obtaining an absolute majority in six provinces and the Muslim League did not do well in the 1937 elections, held under 1935 Act. The Congress Ministries had become too much hostile to the Muslims in spirit and action and launched a dastardly campaign of persecution, demoralisation as well as economic and cultural suppression against them.
The great thinker's deep involvement with the Muslims had brought him close to M. A. Jinnah in the middle of 1930s. Allama Iqbal was so much appreciative of the Quaid that he impressed upon the Muslims to join the Muslim League and strengthen Jinnah's hands as now none but Jinnah is capable of leading the Muslims. He observed that the Indian question, as is now being solved, can be countered by our united front against both the Hindus and the English, adding that without it, our demands are not going to be accepted. The united front can be formed under the leadership of the Muslim League, which can succeed only on account of Jinnah.
The formulation of the Muslim demand of Pakistan in March 1940 had a tremendous impact on the nature and course of Indian politics. The Hindu reaction was of course, bitter and malicious. The British were equally hostile to the Muslim demand. However, despite the Hindu denunciations and the British alarm, the course of Muslim, indeed Indian, politics was from now on firmly set towards Pakistan.
The significant events leading to creation of Pakistan after the enunciation of the Pakistan goal included a statement of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow, known as the `August Offer`, which proposed to enlarge the Governor-General's Council so as to include a certain number of representatives of the political parties, The League considered the proposals as a step towards their goal but it rejected the offer as the British Government included the three Muslim representatives in the National Defence Council without consulting it.
Sir Stafford Cripps Mission offer of April 1942, designed to secure Indian co-operation in the Sub-Continent's defences against the invading Japanese hordes, marked the next step forward on the road to Pakistan. It conceded the provinces the right to opt out of the proposed Indian union but fell short of the Muslim demand to divide India on the basis of Muslim and non-Muslim majority areas. Therefore, All India Muslim League rejected the proposal of Cripps. Jinnah told the 29th session of the League at Allahabad that the Cripps Mission proposals envisaged an Indian Union and the League is not going to accept anything less than Pakistan.
The League remained aloof from the `Quit India Movement` started by the Indian National Congress on 8th August, 1942, demanding that the British should immediately withdraw from India since it was aimed as much against the Muslims as it was against the British.
The Working Committee of the League meeting in Bombay from 16 to 20 August 1942 demanded that the British Government should give effect to the Pakistan Scheme, keeping in view the basic principles laid down in Lahore Resolution.
Jinnah-Gandhi 18-day talks held at Jinnah`s residence in Bombay in September 1944 to resolve the differences between the Congress and the League on the issue of Pakistan failed because Gandhi was opposed to the two-nation theory which formed the basis of the Pakistan demand and he refused the Muslims the right of self-determination.
In the second general elections, the Muslim League, which fought the polls on the issue of Pakistan, won all the 30 Muslim seats in the Central Legislative Assembly on 2nd December, 1945, while it secured 440 out of 495 Muslim seats in the Provincial polls, held on 22nd February, 1946, thus the Muslims gave a clear verdict in favour of Pakistan.
The convention of all the Muslim Members of the Central and Provincial Assemblies, held in Delhi on the ninth of April 1946 under the chairmanship of Quaid-i-Azam, unanimously adopted a H.S. Suhrawardy-proposed Resolution, which clearly indicated that Pakistan was intended to be a single sovereign state. It demanded an unequivocal undertaking for the establishment of Pakistan without delay, declaring that the Muslim nation would never submit to any constitution for a united India and will never participate in any single constitution-making set-up for the purpose.
The next development in the freedom struggle came when the British Government proposed in June 1945 the formation of an interim Government at the Centre and called a conference at Simla. But the Simla Conference failed to take-off, since neither the Congress nor Viceroy would concede the Muslim League its representative status and the right to nominate all the members to the Muslim quota of seats in the proposed interim government.
The failure of the Simla Conference had created a dangerous stalemate in Indian politics and in view of the great significance of the issue, the British Government sent a special three-member mission of the Cabinet Ministers, led by the Secretary of State, Lord Pethick Lawrence, in New Delhi on the 24th of March 1946 for talks with Indian leaders. However, finding no meeting ground between the Congress and the Muslim League, the Mission made its own proposals in May 1946, which stipulated a limited centre, supreme only in foreign affairs, defence and communications and three autonomous groups of provinces.
Two of these groups were to have Muslim majorities in the North-West and North-East of the Sub-Continent, while the third one, comprising the Indian mainland, was to have a Hindu majority. The plan recommended that the constitution-making machinery would be set up to frame the constitution. The Quaid interpreted the clause relating to the limited Centre and the grouping of provinces as "the foundation of Pakistan" and the League Council accepted the Plan in early June, but it withdrew its acceptance on the 29th of July and decided to resort to direct action on 16th August to achieve Pakistan.
The secret negotiations between the Congress and Viceroy resulted in the Congress forming an Interim Government, under Pandit Nehru on September 2, 1946. However, the Muslim League after watching the developing situation with distress and feeling that political power should not be left entirely in the hands of Hindus because it would be fatal for the Muslims decided to join the Executive Council, and its Councillors Liaquat Ali Khan, I.I. Chundrigar, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Raja Ghanzanfar Ali Khan and, Jogindar Nath Mandal(scheduled castes)were sworn in on the 26th of October 1946.
The new Viceroy Lord Mountbatten's protracted negotiations with various political leaders resulted in the June 3, 1947 Plan by which the British Government decided to partition the Sub-Continent and hand over power to two successor states on 15th August. The Indian Independence Act to set up two independent dominions of Pakistan and India was passed by the British House of Commons on 4th July 1947 and the House of Lords next day and it got the Royal assent on the 18th July.
The second most vital national event is that on this day in 1956, the Constitution later called the 1956 Constitution was promulgated, the Dominion of Pakistan was proclaimed as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Major-General Iskander Mirza was sworn in as the first President of Pakistan at the historic Republic day meeting held at Jehangir Park, Karachi, under the presidentship of Chaudhri Muhammad Ali. .The Constituent Assembly had approved first Constitution of the country on the 29th February, 1956, which was based on the Objectives Resolution. The Resolution, adopted on 12th March, 1949, envisaged the observance of Islam and its principles of social justice, equality, democracy, freedom and tolerance, leading to prosperity and an honourable place in the world.
In Pakistan, the nation is still witnessing the same uncertain environment which had caused the promulgation of the three Martial Laws in the past. President Iskander Mirza proclaimed the first Martial law on 7th October, 1958, appointing the Army Chief, General Muhammad Ayub Khan, the Chief Martial Law Administrator, who later became President. Declaration of Martial Law in 1958 was solely due to the unpleasant, uncertain and unstable political situation because of the fast political maneuvers and changes that took place in the country. During the period of 1955-57, four Prime Ministers, Muhammad Ali Bogra,Chauhdry Muhammad Ali, Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, I.I.Chundrigar and Malik Feroze Khan Noon were changed, as the President could not develop proper working relations with them.
The second instance was when General Yahya Khan declared Martial Law after Ayub Khan stepped down as President on 25th March, 1969, and handed over powers to him. The third Martial law was imposed by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq overthrowing Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on July 5, 1977. It is worth mentioning that. Bhutto, Chairman Pakistan People`s Party, took over as President and the first civilian Chief Martial Law Administrator in recent history on 20th December, 1971.
Pakistan came under military rule again on October 12, 1999, when General Pervez Musharraf ousted the Government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Historic Lahore Resolution at the 27th session of All India Muslim League in Lahore on this day in 1940 that clearly defined South Asian Muslims goal of independence.