Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan (Urdu: تحریک پاکستان) was the struggle carried out by the Muslims of British India to create a separate homeland in fear of losing their identity, culture and liberty to the dominant Indian culture of South Asia and the Hindu majority state. This struggle was led by the Muslim League and resulted in the partition of the British Empire in India. The movement was led by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, along with such leaders as Allama Iqbal, Liaqat Ali Khan, Fatima Jinnah, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, A.K. Fazlul Haq, and Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar among the many others.
History of the Pakistan Movement
The idea of a separate state was first introduced by Allama Iqbal in 1930. It was only after, the volatile political climate and emerging religious hostilities between Hindus and Muslims that gave the idea a stronger backing. 1937 election results was a major shift in Indian politics. Congress succeeded in 7 provinces while in four provinces congress was defeated. Among the four non congress provinces, The Punjab and Bengal had not only power but also had resources (both human and physical). In Bengal Muslim league shared government with A.K.Fazlul haq’s Kirisk Parja party while The Punjab was neither with congress nor with Muslim league but under unionists, a secular party working under the leadership of eminent man sir Fazl-e-Hussain. After Fazl-e-Hussain, Sir Sikandar Hayat took leadership. In 1938, Punjab decided to select Jinnah her bargaining agent in center and did an agreement Jinnah-Sikandar pact. So in a period of less then 15 months, with the tremendous support of Punjab and Bengal Jinnah made historic Lahore resolution. In 1940, at the occasion of its general session in Lahore, Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution (also known as Pakistan Resolution) that became the main objective of struggle for independence. Britishers tried to develop a consensus among political players in India through Cripps mission and Cabinet mission but due to the strictness of congress they finally divided it.. By 1947, British India was divided into a Muslim majority Pakistan and a Hindu majority India.
STATEMENTS AND SAYINGS
Allama Iqbal
“ 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.”
Quaid-i-Azam
“ It is extremely difficult to appreciate why our Hindu friends fail to understand the real nature of Islam and Hinduism. They are not religions in the strict sense of the word, but are, in fact, different and distinct social orders, and it is a dream that the Hindus and Muslims can ever evolve a common nationality, and this misconception of one Indian nation has troubles and will lead India to destruction if we fail to revise our notions in time. The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, literatures. They neither intermarry nor interdine together and, indeed, they belong to two different civilizations which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. Their aspect on life and of life are different. It is quite clear that Hindus and Mussalmans derive their inspiration from different sources of history. They have different epics, different heroes, and different episodes. Very often the hero of one is a foe of the other and, likewise, their victories and defeats overlap. To yoke together two such nations under a single state, one as a numerical minority and the other as a majority, must lead to growing discontent and final destruction of any fabric that may be so built for the government of such a state.”
Lahore Resolution
The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Lahore قرارداد لاھور ), commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution (قرارداد پاکستان Qarardad-e-Pakistan), was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22–24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India. This has been largely interpreted as a demand for a separate Muslim state, Pakistan. The resolution was presented by A. K. Fazlul Haq.