23rd March: A Fateful Day
All India Muslim League Working Committee, Lahore session, March 1940
Pakistan Day, 23rd March, is a very momentous day in
Pakistan's history. Pakistanis commemorate the day every year as a real day of
the "making of Pakistan". It was 23rd March when a historic Resolution -
widely known as 'Lahore Resolution"- was passed.
The Resolution cast off the concept of United India and recommended the
creation of an independent Muslim state consisting of Punjab, NWFP, 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 NWFP, Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa from Baluchistan,
along with many others.
It laid down only the principles, with the details left to be worked out at a
future date. It was made a part of All India Muslim League's constitution in
1941. More importantly, it was on the basis of this resolution that in 1946 the
Muslim League decided to go for one "maverick" state for the Muslims, instead
of two.
Having passed the Pakistan Resolution, the Muslims of India altered their
ultimate goal. They set out on a path whose destination was a separate homeland
for the Muslims of India, in lieu of seeking union with the Hindu community.
Different participating leaders of the session of All-India Muslim League
held on March 23, 1940, including the Quaid-i-Azam, agreed that India was never
united; rather it was split between Muslim India and Hindu India and it would
remain so in the future. The entire outlooks, customs and traditions of
civilisations of these two different nations were different anyway. They were
different not only in their religious beliefs, but their entire mode of life
bore a different imprint.
The words of the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his presidential address
to the session carried a far deeper impression on the oppressed and demoralised
Muslims at the hands of ruthless and undemocratic Congress rule. Mr Jinnah
said: "The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies,
social customs and literature. They neither intermarry nor inter-dine together,
and indeed they belong to two different civilisations which are based mainly on
conflicting ideas and conceptions."
Such a far-reaching speech by Mr Jinnah paved the way for the demand of a
separate independent homeland for the exploited Muslims of India, who believed
their rights and privileges could not be guarded under a parliamentary form of
government. They also realised that the bloody brutes of the majority without
any democratic traditions turned the Hindu rulers tyrannical in their behaviour
and due to missing of any administrative experience they acted in a way that
could be unacceptable in a democratic society.
One of the key demands made in the Pakistan resolution moved by chief
minister of Bengal Maulvi Fazl-ul-Haq on March 23, 1940, was that no
constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to the
Muslims unless it was framed on the followed basic principles.
That geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions, which
should be constituted with such territorial readjustments as, may be necessary.
That the areas wherein the Muslims form majority as in the North-Western and
Eastern zones of India be grouped together to constituted 'independent States'
in which the constituted units shall be autonomous and sovereign.
That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards be specially provided in
the constitution for minorities in these units and in the regions for the
protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political administrative and
other rights of interests in consultation with them and in other parts of India
where the Muslims form minority.
Having analysed the crux of the resolution, one comes to a conclusion as to
it (the resolution) laid emphasis on a necessity of separate Muslim-state for
the Muslims of India by grouping the North-Western and Eastern zones of India
where they were in majority, constitutional protection to minorities and their
rights-cum-interests.
Passing of the Lahore Resolution, which was dubbed by the Hindu and the
British press as 'The Pakistan Resolution', ended in a great hue and cry in the
Hindu, Sikh and British circles. The Indian press found a new target to
incessantly make evil designs and unfurl campaigns against the Muslims and
leaders of the Muslim League.
Mr Gandhi declared that partition would mean suicide and the Two-Nation
Theory was an unreality. The vast majority of Muslims of India area concerts to
Islam or are the descendents of the converts. In consequence, they did not make
a separate nation as soon as they become converts, he maintained.
Others who flatly opposed the Lahore Resolution were Raj Gopal Achari, B R
Ambedkar, Master Tara Singh, Nationalist Muslim group.
On the other hand, the resolution was massively bolstered by many other noted
leaders representing different provinces of India, who unanimously adopted it.
Sindh too lead, which passed a resolution for Pakistan.
Till now, the resolution is deemed to be the quintessence of goal-orientation
of untiring and unfailing struggle of Indian Muslims, dating back to 1857. One
of the major impacts of the resolution was that under the leadership of
towering personality in Mr Jinnah not only it did stimulate the Muslim middle
classes to unprecedented political action, but also it caught the imagination
of the people of all classes of Muslim community
It was the resolution, which made the Muslims of India discern their own
destiny and spelled out destination and itinerary of action for them to a
separate Muslim-state. After the downfall of Muslim empire, it was first time
that the resolution proved a 'line of direction' for drifting Muslims. The
resolution not only injected new blood into the veins of the Indian Muslims to
speed up their struggle to their destiny, but also rejuvenated their slow-down
political activity for self-determination in the areas where they made a
numerical majority.
Pakistan Zindabad.
And will provide for him whence he expects not. And he who puts his trust in
Allah - He is sufficient for him. Verily, Allah is to fulfil His work.
Undoubtedly, Allah has kept a measure for every thing.
Surah At-Talaq :3
---------------------------------
The fish are biting.
Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.
