Lahore Resolution 1940
Outline:
•
Lahore Resolution
• Text Of The Resolution
• Importance Of The Resolution
• Conclusion
Lahore Resolution-1940:
The Muslim nationalism reached its highest watermark on 23rd March, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League passed the historic Lahore Resolution in its 27th annual session held in Lahore (Minto Park).
On 21st March, 1940, the working committee of the Muslim League appointed a committee to draft the famous Lahore Resolution. On 22nd March, 1940, the committee submitted the resolution. Next day, on 23rd March, 1940, Fazl-ul-Haq, the premier of Bengal, moved the resolution which was seconded by Chaudary Khaliquzaman and supported by sir Zafar Ali Khan, Nawab Ismail Khan and others.
Text Of The Resolution:
The Lahore Resolution embodied the demand for a separate Muslim State in these words:
“No constitution plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to the Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principles, namely that the geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustment as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are in majority as in the North Western and Eastern Zones of India should be grouped together in independent states in which the constitutional units shall be autonomous and sovereign. Adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights.”
Importance Of The Lahore Resolution:
The Lahore Resolution carries a great importance in the history of the Pakistan Movement because it marked a turning point in the Muslim attitude towards the future constitutional arrangements in the Sub-continent. The Muslims changed their demand from a federal system to a sovereign independent nation, Pakistan. Thus after the adoption of the resolution, Pakistan became a magic word for the Muslims throughout the light and breadth of country. This spirit was carried forward to the general elections of 1945-46, in which the Muslims gave their verdict clearly in the favour of Pakistan.
According to I.H Qureshi:
“The passing of the Lahore Resolution was a historic event in retrospect.
At the time when it was passed its significance was not completely app-
-rehended by many observers. In I India, of-course, there was a
hue and cry among the Hindus……..In fact, it was the Hindu press
which dubbed the Lahore Resolution as a demand for Pakistan.”
Throwing the light on the implications of the Lahore Resolution,
Dr. Waheed-uz-Zaman writes in his book entitled “Towards Pakistan.”
“The Lahore Resolution was inspired by mixed motives in
the minds of those who framed it but there can be no
reasonable doubt that it was presented as a practical
solution of the communal problem……The Resolution
was at once subjected to severe criticism by represent-
-tative Congressmen on various grounds.”
For his position and influence Mr. Gandhi’s criticism may be considered to be most important. One passage of the article published shortly after the adoption of the Lahore Resolution contained the gist of his comments:
“The Two-Nation Theory is an untruth. The vast
majority of Muslims of India are converts to
Islam or are descendants of converts. They
did not make a separate nation, as soon as
they become converts. The Bengali Muslim
speaks the same tongue that a Bengali Hindu
does, eat the same food and has the same
amusements as his Hindu neighbour.”
However, Quaid-e-Azam defended strongly the Lahore Resolution in the sense that it was the only solution of the communal problem. He said:
“The Hindus and the Muslims belong to two different
religious philosophies, social customs and literatures.
They neither intermarry nor interdine together, and
indeed they belong to two different civilizations, which
are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions.
…….. To yoke together two such different nations
Into a single state, one as a numerical minority and
other as a majority, must lead to the growing dis-
-content and final destruction of any fabric that be
may be so built up for government of such a state.”
Conclusion:
The Lahore Resolution set an independent Muslim State as the goal for the Muslims of the Sub-continent. Consequently, henceforth in the shape of Pakistan the Muslims had a clear target for their political struggle. This changed strategy worked wonders and the whole Muslim nation gathered under the banner of Muslim-League and within seven years succeeded in achieving an independent Muslim State on 14th August, 1947.