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The Pakistan Resolution, 1940

Background The ideas of Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Chaudry Rahmat Ali had built upon the earlier concepts presented by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, advocating for a separate homeland for Muslims. Initially, Jinnah (RA) was hesitant about this notion. He believed that Muslims could thrive within a federation that granted them political autonomy and safeguarded their rights. However, the Congress Rule over two years and a growing awareness that British departure from India was imminent led Jinnah (RA) to reconsider, recognizing the need to contemplate the establishment of a Muslim state. As a result, the Pakistan Resolution was passed in 1940. Reasons for passing this Resolution The Pakistan Resolution was passed in 1940 due to a combination of historical, political, and social factors that had gradually shaped the aspirations and concerns of the Muslim community in the Indian subcontinent: Concerns about Representation: Muslims had concerns about their political representation within a unified I...
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The Lucknow Pact, 1916

 Background

The failure of the British to grant more rights to the Indians in the period up to 1914, and their policy of repression during the war, had moved Congress and the Muslim League closer together. In 1915, thanks partly to the persuasion of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (RA), a prominent member of the League, the two organizations both held their annual sessions in Bombay. At the same time, joint councils of Congress and the League were set up to improve common understanding between them on key issues.

The British realized that they needed to take steps to ensure that they did not have serious political unrest in India, at the same time as they were fighting a war against Germany and its allies. So, in October 1916, they let it be known that they were considering a series of proposals which would lead to ‘at least half of the members of the Executive Council being elected, the Legislative Council having a majority of elected members’.

Both Congress and the League supported these proposals. Their agreement also helped to draw the two parties closer together. Although Congress and the League realized that, if further concessions were to be gained, they had to develop greater cooperation between themselves.

The Pact

In December 1916, they once again held their annual sessions in the same city, Lucknow. Largely as a result of the support of the two leaders, Jinnah (RA) from the Muslim League and Mahajan from Congress, the Lucknow Pact was drawn up. It showed clearly that Congress was prepared to make concessions to gain the support of the League.

Agreements by the Congress

  • Muslims had the right to separate electorates in electing representatives to the Imperial and Provincial Legislative Councils. This would apply even to Punjab and Bengal where they did not yet exist.

  • Muslims should be given one-third of the seats in the Councils despite the fact that the Muslim population represented less than a third.

  • No Act affecting a community should be passed unless three-quarters of that community’s members on the Council supported it.

These were major concessions by the Congress and they showed how keen it was to gain the support of the League. Congress leaders had objected strongly to the principle of separate electorates being included in the Morley-Minto Reforms and this was the first time that they had moved away from their belief that India was one indivisible nation.

Demands Presented to the British

The Pact also included a set of common demands to the British as to how India should be governed. It said:

  • The number of elected seats on the Councils should be increased.

  • Motions which were passed by large majorities in the Councils should be accepted as binding by the British Government.

  • Minorities in the provinces should be protected.

  • All provinces should have autonomy.

  • Separating the Executive Council from the judiciary.

  • At least half of the members of the Executive Council being elected, the Legislative Council having a majority of elected members.

Importance

The Lucknow Pact was seen as a beacon of hope to Hindu–Muslim unity. Jinnah (RA) said that the Pact had come about because ‘cooperation in the cause of our motherland should be our guiding principle. India’s real progress can only be achieved by a true understanding and harmonious relations between the two great sister communities’.

The Pact was a significant moment in the movement towards self-rule:

  • It was the first time that the Hindus and the Muslims had made a joint demand for political reform to the British.

  • It marked the first acceptance by the Hindus that a degree of partition would be necessary in any self-governing India.

  • It showed that the Muslims acknowledged that they stood a much better chance of protecting their rights if they worked with Congress against the British.

  • It led to a growing belief in British India that Home Rule (self-government) was a real possibility. During 1917, two Home Rule Leagues campaigned across India. One was led by Tilak and the other by an English woman called Annie Besant.

  • It also marked the high-water mark of Hindu-Muslim unity.

  • It established cordial relations between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress.

  • Before the pact, both parties were viewed as rivals who opposed each other and worked in their own interests. However, the pact brought a change in that view.

  • Hindu-Muslim unity, mainly due to the efforts of Jinnah (RA) who got the title of “Ambassador of Peace” due to this effort.
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