Demand for Pakistan
The idea of a separate homeland for Muslims was first proposed by Allama Iqbal in the
Allahabad Session (1930) of the Muslim League during his presidential address.
The word ‘Pakistan/PAKSTAN’ was first used in 1933 by a student named Chaudhary Rehmat
Ali in his pamphlet “Now or Never: Are We to Live or Perish Forever?”. The name was derived
from the initials of five regions of British India’s North-Western units — Punjab, Afghan
Province (North-West Frontier Province), Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan.
From 22 to 24 March 1940, the Muslim League held its historic session at Lahore, chaired by
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In this session, a separate Muslim nation was formally demanded.
Jinnah declared that he would not accept anything less than an independent Muslim
country.
Interestingly, Sarojini Naidu once referred to Jinnah as an “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim
Unity.” Later, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in his book The Discovery of India that Iqbal remarked:
“Jinnah is a politician, you are a patriot.”
The Two-Nation Theory was formally endorsed in the Lahore Session. The proposal, drafted
by Sikandar Hayat Khan and presented by Fazlul Haq on 23 March 1940, came to be known
as the Lahore Resolution.
To commemorate this historic day, 23 March 1943 was celebrated as Pakistan Day.
