Genesis of Pakistan

Overview

• Pakistan was not conceived of till the beginning of 20th century

• India was Great Britain’s most populated colonial dominion

Strategic Position of India

Religious Composition

• India was predominantly a Hindu Country• Census of 1901: Muslims were only 22 percent

of the total population• Census of 1941: Muslim population exceeded

41 per cent

Why did the Partition occur?• British design? What did the British have to gain from

it? What would have happened if they left it intact?• Orientalist understandings• Divide and rule• Negotiations between the ruling classes• Communal conflict• Incompatibility of cultures?

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Iqbal: Two Nation theory• First articulated in the Presidential address

to the All India Muslim league in 1930 by Allama Iqbal, the famous poet, philosopher and politician.

• Argued that the aspirations of two different communities, especially when one was a minority, and the other a majority, could be addressed within one state

• Was in disagreement with both Nehru and Gandhi

• In India’s nationalist discourse this came to be known as Muslim separatism.

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Ideology of Pakistan:

Jinnah: “The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and literatures. They neither intermarry, nor inter-dine together and, indeed, they belong to two different civilizations which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. Their aspects on life and of life are different. It is quite clear that Hindus and Musalmans derive their inspiration from different sources of history. They have different epics, their heroes are different, and they have different episodes. Very often the hero of one is a foe of the other, and likewise, their victories and defeats overlap”

Chronology of Events • 1857- Indian Revolt• 1885- Formation of Indian National Congress • 1905- Partition of Bengal• 1906 - Muslim League founded as forum for Indian Muslim separatism• 1918-Khilafat Movement• 1916-Lucknow Pact• 1930-Idea of separate Muslim state, put forward by Iqbal• 1940 - Muslim League endorses idea of separate nation for India's Muslims.• 1947 - Muslim state of East and West Pakistan created out of partition of

India at the end of British rule. Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal violence and millions are made homeless.

• 1948 - Muhammed Ali Jinnah, founding leader of Pakistan, dies. First war with India over disputed territory of Kashmir.

Pakistan Movement

Role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan(1817 to 1898)

Indian National Congress• The foundation of Indian National Congress (INC) - December 28, 1885• It claimed to represent all communities of India• In its very first session held in 1885, the Congress passed a resolution

urging the reconstitution of the Legislative Councils on a representative basis thus suggesting a Hindu domination in them

• Syed Ahmad vehemently opposed that proposal arguing that in such a case, the Muslims would be in a permanent minority and instead exhorted the Muslims to raise their educational status

• In December 1886, he founded All India Muhammaden Educational Congress to create communal consciousness and solidarity among the Muslim community of India along with raising their educational standards.

Role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan• Born in 1817• Served British east India company during rebellion of 1857• He defended Muslims against the British charge of

disloyalty• Established MAO college in 1875• Worked as member of Governor-Genral’s Legislative

council(1878-1883)• He played immediate task of rescuing Muslims from their

downward spiral• Died 1898

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

• Greatest Muslim reformers of the 19th century• Founder of 'modernist Islamic thought'• He succeeded in pulling Muslims out of the

depths of ignorance and backwardness– Sir Syed’s Educational Services– Sir Syed’s Political Services– Sir Syed’s Literary works– Sir Syed’s Social Services

Educational Services:

• Two Madrassahs in Muradabad (1858) and Ghaziabad (1862) –Persian education

• In 1864, Sir Syed laid the foundation of a Scientific Society which translated English works into Urdu

• M.A.O High School was founded in 1875. In 1877, M.A.O High School was given the status of a college.

• Later on, this college became a University in 1920A.D.

Aligarh Movement

• Maulana Mohamed Ali stated the purpose of Aligarh Movement : 'to create for young Musalmans a centre with the true Islamic atmosphere, so that its alumni would not merely be educated and cultured men, but educated and cultured Musalmans

• Sir Syed’s approach: 'Science', he said, 'shall be in our right hand and philosophy in our left; and on our head shall be the crown of "

Political Service• He is regarded as one of the greatest exponents of Two-Nation theory because

after the Hindu-Urdu controversy he was convinced that Hindus were not sincere towards the Muslims.

• He remarked:" Now I am convinced that both these communities will not join whole-heartedly in anything though, at present, there was no open hostility between the two communities, but on account of the so-called educated people it will increase immensely in future.“

• Sir Syed founded a Patriotic Association in order to counter the anti-Muslim propaganda by the Hindus.

• Soon after the establishment of Indian National Congress, he came to realise that it was a purely Hindu organisation. Consequently, he asked the Muslims to desist taking part in its activities

• He proposed the system of separate electorate for the Muslims in order to protect the political rights of the Muslim Community. He highlighted his views in this regard in a speech in 1883 by saying, "The system of representation by election means the representation of the views and interests of the majority of the population".

Sir Syed’s Religious Services• Sir Syed rendered many religious services through his

movement.

• Essay On Life Of Muhammad (PBUH)He wrote essays on the life of (PBUH) named Kutbat-i-Ahmadiyah

• Tabeen-e-Alkalam:Sir Syed also wrote a commentary on Bible in a philosophical style and explained the similarities between the Islam and Christianity with solid arguments.

Formation of All India Muslim League(Dec,1906)

• It was established to fulfill following objectives:– To promote among the Muslims of India, feelings of loyalty to

the British Government, and to remove any misconception that may arise as to intention of the Government with regard to any of its measures

– To protect and advance the political rights and interests of the Muslims of India, and to respectfully represent their needs and aspirations to the Government

– To prevent the rise among the Muslims of India of any feeling of hostility towards other communities, without prejudice to the other afore mentioned objects of the League

Partition of Bengal

• Viceroy, Lord Curzon, decided to divide, population-wise, the Indian Province Bengal, into “EAST BENGAL” & “WEST BENGAL”

• It was based on administrative difficulties• Gave rise to many anti-government

movements• East Bengal-Muslims were in clear majority

KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

Khilafat movement

• Political campaign in support of the Turks• Mass protest movement against the British • Khilfat Leaders:– Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar, Maulana Shaukat

Ali, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

– Later Mahatama Gandhi also joined the movement

Khilafat movement-Main developments

• European powers, led by Great Britain, started realizing their plan of dividing the Ottoman Empire beginning with the War of Tripoli in 1911 and the Balkan War of 1912-13

• Thus, the Muslim leaders launched the Khilafat Movement-1918

• Gandhi also joined the Khilafat movement• Khilafat leader went to London

Treaty of sevres

• The Treaty of Sèvres was signed with the Ottoman Empire after the end of World war I(1920)

• pact between the victorious Allied powers and representatives of the government of Ottoman Turkey

• The treaty abolished the Ottoman Empire and obliged Turkey to renounce all rights over Arab Asia and North Africa

• Rejected by the new Turkish nationalist regime, the Treaty of Sèvres was replaced by theTreaty of Lausanne in 1923

Implications of the Khilafat Movement

• Turkish nationalist leadership( itself put an end to the Caliphate

• A movement rooted in pan-Islamism to preserve the Ottoman Caliphate ended up complementing the process of Muslim nationalism in India, thereby playing an important role in the creation of Pakistan

LUCKNOW PACT(1916)

Lucknow pact(1916)• It was an agreement between the Indian National Congress

& All Indian Muslim League• Constitutional reforms, implemented after first World War• It was demand for an expansion of the representative

assemblies, both at the all-India and provincial levels, and appointment of Indians to the executive councils of the viceroy and the provincial executive

• Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims• Muslims were granted a fixed proportion of seats both in

the All-India and the provincial legislatures

HISTORIOGRAPHY

• It was an important landmark in the development of Indian Nationalism

• An instance of political cooperation• “Congress compromised its position as the

representative organization of All Indians”• Characterized as “surrender to Muslim

communalism and separatism”

Lucknow pact(1916)

• Expansion of Imperial legislative council & provincial legislative council

• The congress agreed to enforce separate electorate in those province, where they do not exist (Punjab, CP, Madras)

• Muslims would be granted a fixed proportion of elective seats

• In imperial legislative council, Muslims were to have one-third of the seats

Lucknow pact(1916)

No bill affecting a particular community should be proceeded with any counsel if 3/4 representation of community opposed it

Muslims and Hindus were to have the weightage in the provinces where they formed minorities

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Lucknow pact(1916)-The Muslim strength in the different provinces:

Serial

No.

Provinces Percentage of Muslim

Population

Percentage of seats reserved

for the Muslims

1 Punjab 55 50

2 Bengal 53 40

3 Madras 07 15

4 Bombay 20 33.3

5 Utter Pradesh 14 30

6 CP 04 15

7 Bihar 10

Lucknow pact(1916)

• Nature of relations between Executive and legislature envisaged by the pact:o Executive was the Viceroy’s executive councilo Provincial was the governor’s executive council o These executive councils were not responsible to

respective legislatureso The pact demanded that all provinces were to have

executive councils and that at least half the members of these councils would be Indians, who in turn would be elected by the elected members of the legislative councils

Lucknow pact(1916)o A similar demand was made for the viceroy’s executive

council. But though half the executive was elected by the legislature, the executive as a whole was not to be responsible to the legislature. The elected half of the executive was irremovable by the legislature

o But since crucial matters like the budget were to depend upon the approval of the legislature

o This was in sum the basic nature of executive-legislature relations that the Congress expected from and asked for in any scheme of post-war constitutional reforms

Issues related to the pact

• Veteran Congressmen Surendranath Banerjea and B G Tilak pointed out that though the legislature could not dismiss the executive, such an arrangement would practically mean that the former controlled the latter

Impact of the Pact

• A significant amount of power was now available to Indians, they could now aspire to become ministers

• Control significant “nation-building” departments like education, agriculture, etc

• Legislators could influence decision-making

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Results

• Hindu Muslim unity did not last for more than eight years, and collapsed after Khilafat Movement

• It was the first time that the Congress recognized the Muslim League as the political party representing the Muslims of the region

• The pact brought about a change, temporary although, in the attitude of the Muslims towards the "Hindu - Congress". It also made their relations with the British hostiles

• Chief architect of this pact was Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Ms.Sarojini Naidu

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Effects

• Completely approval of separate electorate• Security of Muslim rights and interest• Muslim league's separate status accepted• Increase the fame of Quaid-e-Azam as

ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity• Start of Hindu Muslim Unity, First and Last

time ?

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CONCLUSION

• Politics of Reconciliation• If this sense of co-operation have been carried out

the atmosphere of understanding and co-operation generated but hindu did not honestly stick to these principles instead of it mistrust hatred and non-cooperation carried into political life

• It was an important milestone in the history of sub-continent, due to this agreement congress gave protection to all due rights of Muslims and Muslim league

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“Social forces and Ideology in the making of Pakistan”

By Hamza Alavi