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]
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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 general session of the All India Muslim League in Lahore to discuss the circumstances and also analyze the reasons for the defeat of Muslim League in the Indian general election of 1937 in some Muslim majority provinces.Proceedings
According to some experts, Sikandar Hayat Khan, the chief minister of the Punjab, was the sole author of the original Lahore resolution, which was placed before the Subject Committee of the All India Muslim League for discussion and amendments. 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
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.[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. This text was buried under the Minar-e-Pakistan during its building in the Ayub regime. In this session the political situation was analyzed in detail and Muslim demands a separate homeland only to maintain their identification and to safeguard their rights. Pakistan resolution was the landmark in the history of Muslim of south-Asia.it determined for the Muslims a true goal and their homeland in north-east and north-west. the acceptance of he Pakistan resolution accelerate the pace of freedom movement. it gave new energy and courage to Muslim who gathered around Quaid-i-Azam for struggle for freedom.Commemoration
- To commemorate the event, Minar-e-Pakistan, a monument 60 m tall in the shape of a minaret was built at the site in Iqbal Park where the resolution was passed.
- March 23 (Pakistan Day) is a national holiday in Pakistan to commemorate both Lahore Resolution (1940) and the Republic Day (1956); the country became the first Islamic Republic in the world.[15]
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