The Lahore Resolution
With the onset of the Second World War, there emerged a difference of opinion
among Indian leadership regarding India’s participation in the war under British
rule. Against this backdrop, and after the Muslim League's failure to achieve
significant success in the 1937 provincial elections, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
sought a new direction.
In this context, the All India Muslim League's working committee met under the
leadership of Jinnah on 19 March 1940 in Lahore. A public session followed, led
by A. K. Fazlul Huq, on 22 March, which eventually presented what is now known
as the Lahore Resolution.
Jinnah, in a speech lasting over two hours, sharply criticized both the Congress
and nationalist Muslims. He introduced and defended the Two-Nation Theory,
arguing for a separate identity and political autonomy for Muslims in India. His
arguments won widespread support from the Muslim populace.
The preliminary draft of the resolution was prepared by the Punjab Premier, Sir
Sikandar Hayat Khan. After discussion and revision, the working committee
approved the draft, and it was officially presented by Fazlul Huq on 23 March. It
received strong support from key Muslim leaders such as Khwaja Nazimuddin
and Nawab Ismail Khan. In his speech, Fazlul Huq emphasized the political rights
of Muslims and their demand for separate nationhood.
The Lahore Resolution stated:
"In areas of India where Muslims are in the majority, namely the north-western
and eastern zones, they should be grouped to constitute independent states in
which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign."
This declaration provided ideological motivation and a national vision to the
Muslim League. From then on, Muslim politics focused on a separate identity
and ultimately an independent state. The resolution was formally adopted on 24
March 1940 during a large public gathering in Lahore.
The Indian and British press labeled the Lahore Resolution as the "Pakistan
Resolution", although the word "Pakistan" was not mentioned in the text. Yet,
due to this mislabeling, the term gained popular currency and became a symbol
of the Muslim League's demand.
Despite no explicit use of the term "Pakistan" in the resolution, the press began
interpreting it as a demand for a sovereign Muslim state. Many Muslims,
including Rahmat Ali, claimed that the resolution confirmed their idea of
Pakistan, although no direct reference existed.
On 15 April 1941, the All India Muslim League approved the Lahore Resolution
as a fundamental component of its political program. From 1940 onwards, it
became a major focus of the Muslim League's activities, particularly in response
to the evolving independence movement.
In March 1946, during the Cabinet Mission’s visit to India, the Muslim League
reaffirmed its demand for Pakistan. To emphasize the continuity of the
resolution, the League held a convention involving both central and provincial
working committee members. A subcommittee comprising Khwaja Nazimuddin,
Hasan Ispahani, and others, led by Nazimuddin, redrafted the resolution. The
term “states” was replaced with “state” to make the demand more explicit.
The revised version adopted in 1946 specified:
"The areas where Muslims are in majority in the North-Western and Eastern
zones, including Bengal and Assam in the East and Punjab, NWFP, Sindh, and
Baluchistan in the West, should be grouped to constitute an independent,
sovereign Muslim state without any constitutional arrangement that
compromises this objective."
Nazimuddin and Khwaja Khairuddin formally presented the updated resolution
in an open session. However, A. K. Fazlul Huq, who had initially presented the
Lahore Resolution in 1940, now distanced himself from it, claiming he had no
knowledge of the modifications and that the resolution had not originally
demanded an independent state.
Jinnah's initial signature on the resolution included an "S" (possibly indicating
ambiguity), but later he signed it clearly. Though Fazlul Huq claimed it had not
originally implied a sovereign state, Jinnah made it clear through subsequent
speeches and actions that the resolution aimed at the creation of an
independent Muslim state in the northwest and northeast of India.
By July 30, 1946, in a speech delivered in Bombay, Jinnah strongly defended the
Lahore Resolution as a demand for complete independence and reaffirmed that
this vision had always been a central objective of the Muslim League.
