March 23, 1940: The Lahore Resolution
"The people of Pakistan celebrate the 23rd of March, every year, with great zeal and enthusiasm, to commemoratethemost outstanding achievement of the Muslims of South Asia who passedthehistoric Pakistan Resolution on this day at Lahore in 1940."
FROM March 22 to March 24, 1940, the 
Khaliquzzaman is seconding the Resolution." align="right" border="0" width="225" height="173"">AllIndia Muslim League held its annual session at Minto Park, Lahore.Thissession proved to be historical.
On the first day of the session, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnahnarratedthe events of the last few months. In an extempore speech hepresented hisown solution of the Muslim problem. He said that the problem ofIndia wasnot of an inter-communal nature, but manifestly an international oneandmust be treated as such.
To him the differences between Hindus and the Muslims were so greatand sosharp that their union under one central government was full ofseriousrisks. They belonged to two separate and distinct nations andtherefore theonly chance open was to allow them to have separate states.
In the words of Quaid-i-Azam: "Hindus and the Muslims belong to twodifferent religions, philosophies, social customs and literature.Theyneither inter-marry nor inter-dine and, indeed, they belong to twodifferentcivilizations that are based mainly on conflicting ideas andconceptions.Their concepts on life and of life are different. It is quite clearthatHindus and Muslims derive their inspiration from different sourcesofhistory. They have different epics, different heroes and differentepisodes.Very often the hero of one is a foe of the other, and likewise,theirvictories and defeats overlap. To yoke together two such nationsunder asingle state, one as a numerical minority and the other as amajority, mustlead to growing discontent and final destruction of any fabric thatmay beso built up for the government of such a state".
He further said, "Mussalmans are a nation according to anydefinition ofnation. We wish our people to develop to the fullest spiritual,cultural,economic, social and political life in a way that we think best andinconsonance with our own ideals and according to the genius of ourpeople".
On the basis of the above mentioned ideas of the Qua
All India Muslim League session, March 1940, Nawab Sir Shah NawazMamdot presenting address of welcome" align="right" border="0" width="225" height="175">id,A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq, the then Chief Minister of Bengal, moved thehistoricalresolution which has since come to be known as Lahore Resolution orPakistanResolution.
The Resolution declared: "No constitutional plan would be workableoracceptable to the Muslims unless geographical contiguous units aredemarcated into regions which should be so constituted with suchterritorialreadjustments as may be necessary. That the areas in which theMuslims arenumerically in majority as in the North-Western and Eastern zones ofIndiashould be grouped to constitute independent states in which theconstituentunits shall be autonomous and sovereign".
It further reads, "That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguardsshallbe specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in theunits andin the regions for the protection of their religious, cultural,economic,political, administrative and other rights of the minorities, withtheirconsultation. Arrangements thus should be made for the security ofMuslimswhere they were in a minority".
The Resolution repudiated the concept of United India andrecommended thecreation of an independent Muslim state consisting of Punjab, N. W.F. P.,Sindh and Baluchistan in the northwest, and Bengal and Assam in thenortheast.
The Resolution was seconded by Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab,SardarAurangzeb from the N. W. F. P., Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, andQazi Esafrom Baluchistan, along with many others.
The Resolution was passed on March 24. It laid down only theprinciples,with the details left to be worked out at a future date. It was madea partof the All India Muslim League's constitution in 1941. It was on thebasisof this resolution that in 1946 the Muslim League decided to go foronestate for the Muslims, instead of two.
Having passed the Pakistan Resolution, the Muslims of India changedtheirultimate goal. Instead of seeking alliance with the Hindu community,theyset out on a path whose destination was a separate homeland for theMuslimsof India--with a great name of Pakistan.
Perspective
The background of Pakistan Resolution is that in 1937, prov
Khan of Mamdot at the Lahore Session, March 1940" align="right" border="0" width="225" height="173"">incialautonomy was introduced in the Sub-continent under the Government ofIndiaAct, 1935. The elections of 1937 provided the Congress with amajority insix provinces, where Congress governments were formed. This led tothepolitical, social, economic and cultural suppression of the Muslimsin theCongress ruled provinces.
The Congress contemptuously rejected the Muslim League's offer offormingcoalition ministries. The Muslims were subjected not only tophysicalattacks but injustice and discriminatory treatment as regards civilliberties, economic measures and employment and educationalopportunities.The Congress Ministries introduced the Wardha scheme of education,theobject of which was to de- Muslimise the Muslim youth and children.
According to British historian Reginald Coupland. "It was not onlytheWorking Committee's control of the Congress Ministries that showedthata'Congress Raj' had been established. It was betrayed by the conductandbearing of Congressmen. ..Many of them behaved as if they were arulingcaste, as if they owned the country ."
Mr. Ian Stephens, former editor of the newspaper' Statesman ' and aneyewitness to the working of the Congress Ministries, says: "Theeffect ofthis simultaneously on many Muslim minds was of a lightning flash.What hadbefore been but guessed at now leapt forth in horridly clearoutline. TheCongress, a Hindi-dominated body, was bent on the eventualabsorption;Westem-style majority rult?, in an undivided sub- continent, couldonly meanthe smaller community being swallowed by the larger."
The animosity shown by the Hindus to the Muslim and their ownexperience oftwo-and-a-half year Congress rule strengthened the Muslims belief intheirseparate Nationality .The discriminatory attitude coupled withattempts bythe Hindu dominated Congress to suppress the Muslims impelled theMuslims tofinally demand a separate sovereign state for the Muslims.
However, the Muslim demand was violently opposed both by the Britishand theHindus; and the Congress attitude towards the Muslims led to thehardeningof the Muslims belief that only a separate homeland -Pakistan -canguaranteetheir freedom. This demand was put in black and white on 23rd March,1940.
After adoption of the Pakistan Resolution, Quaid-e-Azam had a clearobjective before him and he struggled hard to achieve it. In one ofthemeetings, he said: "We are a Nation of a hundred million and what ismore,we are a Nation with our distinct culture and civilization, languageandliterature, art and architecture, legal laws and moral codes,customs andcalendar, history and traditions, aptitudes and ambitions. In short,asMuslims we have our own distinctive outlook on life". He furthersaid thatby all cannons of international laws, we are a nation.
In 1945, Quaid-e-Azam proclaimed that only Muslim League representedtheMuslims, and proved it to the hilt during 1946 polls, winning 100per centseats at the Centre, and 80 per cent in the provinces. Nothing couldhavebeen more conclusive to shatter the Congress claim of being anational body.If the British had read the writing on the wall in this verdict,Pakistancould have come into existence two years earlier without bloodshed.
With his charismatic personal Quaid-e-Azam turned the dr
the All India Muslim League Working Committee, Lahore session, March1940" align="right" border="0" width="225" height="141">eamof a separate homeland into reality on 14th of August 1947. Ins ofsevereopposition, establishment of Pakistan, in such a short span of sevenyearsurely an extra-ordinary achievement, which has no m in history.
On the eve of his departure Karachi from Delhi on August, 1947,Quaid-e-Azama message to Hindustan, implored "The past must be buried and let usstartafresh as two independent sovereign States of Hindustan andPakistan. I wishHindustan prosperity and peace."
Even in his post-partition statements, the Quaid-e-Azam envisaged arelationship of peaceful co-existence with India. But, the eruptionof warin Kashmir in 1947 created acrimony between India and Pakistan,which becamemore acute with the passage of time. While Pakistan has throughoutbeensupporting a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the Indianobstinacy led to three wars and scores of clashes, peace initiativetook himto Agra. Kashmir problem is resolved to bedeviling the relationsbetweenEven after the failure of Agra the satisfaction of the parties toboth theneighbouring countries.
Pakistan's present leadership continues to subscribe to the policyofpeaceful resolution of all disputes with India. EnumeratingPakistan' sforeign policy parameters on 23rd June, 2000, General PervezMusharrafstated: The war should be avoided through a potent deterrence anddiplomacy,engaging India on the issue of Kashmir for bringing permanent peacein theregion without compromising on sovereignty.
President Pervez Musharraf's peace initiative took him to Agra. Evenafterthe failure of Agra talks, he continued to persistently pursue hispolicy ofpeaceful resolution of all disputes with India. ReciprocatingPakistanPresident's gesture, the ex-Indian Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee,during his visit to Srinagar in April last year, extended his handoffriendship towards Pakistan. A meeting between the two leaders, onthesidelines of SAARC Summit in Islamabad early this year, led to abarrage ofconfidence-building measures and Secretary-level talks.
Now there is need to ensure a quick forward movement to resolve thelongsimmering Kashmir dispute, which has been the main irritant and thebone ofcontention between
India and Pakistan. All contentious issues between the two countrieswouldbe automatically settled if the Kashmir problem is resolved to thesatisfaction of the parties to the dispute.
In short, the commemoration of 23rd March is an expression of thewholenation's resolute determination to preserve her independence and theDay'scelebrations are a reflection of this.●
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