Background
The Lahore Resolution is the most significant landmark in the history of our freedom struggle. In the month of March 1940, the Muslims of India adopted a resolution embodying their national objectives and expressing their 'firm commitment to make all out efforts for the achievement of these objectives. Important events and factors that led to the adoption of this Resolution are summed up here:
i. The Two National Theory
The Muslims, by virtue of their faith, are a nation separate and distinct form all other nations of the World. Their spiritual and national aspirations could only be realized in a state which was Islamic in nature, where they could live as free citizens and could model their lives in accordance with Islamic injunctions.
ii. Hindu Extremism
The Muslims had lived with the Hindus as neighbours and compatriots for about one thousand years. On the basis of their experience they could not expect good nieghbourly treatment from the extremist Hindus, who had already made it clear that the Muslims had no place in India, they should either embrace Hinduism or quit India.
iii. Iqbal's Ideology of Muslim Nationhood
Delivering his presidential address at the annual session of the Muslim League held at Allahabad in 1930, Poet-philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal said that the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent was predominantly Muslim, that Muslims living in these areas form a distinct and separate national entity and that their rights in any future constitution should be determined in this light.
iv. Period of Congress Rule
Congress ministries were formed in seven out of the eleven Indian provinces, these governments worked till 1939. Bad governance and the oppressive rule of the Congress ministries created a general discontentment and despair among the Muslims. Demand for a separate Muslim homeland was its immediate outcome.
v. Popularity of the Muslim League
The Quaid-e-Azam kept persistently in touch with the Muslims during the oppressive Congress rule, he was successful in impressing upon them that a horrible future lies ahead of them if the Congress were entrusted authority to rule the whole of India. As a result of the Quaid-e-Azam's efforts the Muslim League which had failed to attract the Muslim masses in 1936-37 elections, emerged as the sole representative of the Muslim nation.
vi. Muslim League's Session in Lahore
Historic Muslim League session was held in 1940 in Lahore. Addressing a rally of more than a hundred thousand people after the Jum'a prayers on March 22, the Quaid-e-Azam said:
“ under the plea of unity of India and one nation, which does not exist, it is sought to pursue here the line of one central government. We know that the history of the last twelve hundred years has failed to achieve unity, and has witnessed India during the ages, always divided into Hindu India and Muslim India. Musalamans are a nation according to any definition of a nation, and they must have their homeland. We wish to live in peace and harmony with our neighbours as a free and independent people".
vii. ADOPTION OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION
The Resolution was moved on March 23, 1940 by the Bengal Chief Minister Maulvi Fazal- ul-Haq. The Resolution which later came to be known as the "Pakistan Resolution" was adopted in the last session of the meeting on March, 24.
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION
The Lahore Resolution embodied minimum demands regarding the political status of the Muslims in South-East Asia. The Muslims resolved in unambiguous terms that they will only accept a constitutional formula which satisfies the following Muslim demands:
i. Federal Scheme Disapproved: The Federal scheme formulated in the Government of India Act 1935 is absolutely unsuitable for the Indian conditions. The Indian Muslims will never accept it.
ii. Establishment of Independent States: It was clearly stated that a constitution acceptable for the Muslims of India shall be based on the following principles:
..."Geographically contiguous units be demarcated into regions.... in which the Muslims are numerically a 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".
iii. Safeguards for Minorities: In the newly established Muslim and non-Muslim states adequate constitutional safeguards should be provided to minorities, with their consultation, for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political and administrative rights and interests.
iv. Extent of State Sovereignty: The Resolution authorized the Muslim League working Committee to draft a detailed constitutional scheme in the light of the principles stipulated in the Resolution, this scheme shall ensure that the states created under this scheme have full control over defense, foreign affairs, communications, customs and all other necessary subjects.
viii. ANALYSIS
Following are the most notable features of the Lahore Resolution:
i. Word 'Pakistan' was not used in the text of the Lahore Resolution.
ii. The Resolution did not demand one Muslim state in clear terms. The ambiguity, which was caused due to the use of plural 'states' was removed later at Madras session of the Muslim League held in 1941. A resolution adopted at this session clearly stated, that the Muslim League stood for only one sovereign independent Muslim state.
iii. The boundaries of the Muslim state or states were not defined in the Resolution, words like units, regions and zones were used instead.
iv. The Resolution was originally called 'Lahore Resolution' but later it came to be known as 'Pakistan Resolution'. This name was given by the hostile Hindu press and vas readily picked up by the Quaid-e-Azam. In the following years the Lahore Resolution was referred to as the sole document formulating Indian Muslims unanimous national demands. The points which were left ambiguous in the I esolution were later clarified in a resolution adopted by the Muslim Representatives Convention held at Delhi in 1946.
ix. IMPORTANCE OF THE LAHORE RESOLUTION
Adoption of the Lahore Resolution was, undoubtedly, a significant landmark in the history of the Muslim India. Following reasons signify its importance:
i. Determination Focused: Through this Resolution, the Muslims of India set their national objectives and expressed their unflinching determination to make all out efforts for the achievement of these objectives.
ii. Expression of Confidence on Muslim League Leadership: Representatives of the Muslims from all over India attended the Lahore session. Events in the following years proved that Muslims had reposed full confidence in the Muslims League. Pakistan was taken up as the core issue by the Muslim League in the election manifesto it gave for the 1945-46 elections. The Muslims rallied round the Muslim League in great numbers and the same party which had failed to attract people in the 1937 elections, now emerged as the sole representative of the Muslim nation all over India.
iii. Emergence of Pakistan
The Lahore Resolution gave a direction to the political struggle of the Muslims and within a short span of seven years' time the Muslims were able to achieve their cherished goal; Pakistan.
