Pakistan Resolution
• Annual session of Muslim league held in Lahore on 22 March 1940
• The premier of Bengal Maulvi Fazal Haq
• Demanded autonomous, independent and sovereign state
• It was called, “Lahore Resolution”
• Hindu Press called it Pakistan Resolution
Crisps Mission: to win support for Indian war
efforts
• Sir Stafford Cripps promised;
• Dominion status for India after war(though individual provinces could
opt out of the union and negotiate their own independence)
• After a war a constituent Assembly should frame a new constitution
• Elections for the constituent Assembly would be held immediately
after the war
Reaction to Cripps Mission
• ML rejected it for no reference of Pakistan, though appreciated the
right to opt out of future union
• Congress vehemently rejected; demanded all out freedom
Quit India Resolution
• August 1942
• Gandhi: if British leave there would be no threat of Japanese invasion
• All-India Congress Committee passed its ‘Quit India Resolution’,
calling for immediate withdrawal of British
• Called for non-violent mass struggle
• Nehru Gandhi arrested
• Congress banned
• ML did not approve of quit India movement
Gandhi-Jinnah talks 1944
• Gandhi wanted to settle question of Pakistan after British had left,
Jinnah wanted it before British leave
• Gandhi wanted central Government to have control over key areas
such as defence and foreign policy, Jinnah wanted these matters to be
with provinces
• Jinnah reminded Gandhi that he is only spokesman of Congress
Simla Conference
• It was now clear that the British intended to leave India. What they
desperately needed was agreement on what should happen when
they leave
• Lord Wavell proposed that an executive council should be set up to
govern country under the present constitution until a new
constitution could be agreed upon
• The Executive council should be set up to govern the country under
present constitution until a new constitution could be agreed on
• The executive council would contain equal members of Hindus and
Muslims , apart from viceroy and member controlling defence
• To discuss the proposal Wavell called a conference in Simla in June
1945
• Jinnah pointed Sikhs and Scheduled castes would always vote for
Hindus
• He also objected that congress would nominate Muslim members
• Talks failed
1945-46 Elections
• Labour Party won in Britain and directed Lord Wavell to hold elections
in Indian for setting up executive council
• League won 87% of the Muslim vote, all 30 Muslim seats in the
central legislative assembly and 446 of the 495 seats in provincial
elections
• It showed growing popularity of Ml
• People realised tyranny of Congress rule
Cabinet Mission Plan
• March, 1946: final British effort to settle differences within India
• It proposed an interim government should be set up to rule India
whilst the British withdraws was organised
• The Government would form an All-India Commission from members
of provincial and Central legislatures
• The commission would then decide whether there should be one or
two states after British had left
Final recommendations of Cabinet Mission
• It rejected the idea of establishing Pakistan
• Instead there would be three different parts to a post-British India:
The Hindu majority territories, The Western Muslim provinces, Bengal
and Assam
• Each part would have local autonomy and would be able to draw up
its own constitution
• Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Communication would be managed by a
central Indian Union
• Muslim league stated that it was prepared to nominate members to
an interim cabinet to oversee the move to independence based on
this plan
• Nehru said that Congress would not feel bound once the British had
left
• Cabinet plan was dropped
• Direct Action Day
Towards Independence
• British asked the Nehru to form Executive Council
• After hesitation, ML nominated its own members
• Elections were held for Constituent Assembly
• When it met for first time ML members refused to attend
• Congress demanded resignation of ML members from EC
• The British PM, Attlee decided it was a time for decisive action
3 June Plan
• Attllee: Settlement on later than June 1948
• Mountabatten: further brought it to August 1947
• Two states should be set up. The interim constitution of both states
was the 1935 Government of India Act
• Each State was to have Dominion Status and have an executive
Responsible to a constituent assembly
• Muslim Majority provinces would vote either to join India or Pakistan
• Bengal and Punjab had to decide about provinces too
• NWFP held referendum
• 1947, Indian Independence Act was passed
