DEPARTMENT OF PAKISTAN STUDIES

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

SHAH ABDUL LATIF UNIVERSITY
KHAIRPUR

Assignment Topic.
The Creation of All India Muslim League & it’s objectives.

Submitted To:
Madam: Afroz Kalhoro
Subject: Independence movement and creation of
Pakistan (1857-1947)

Submitted By:
Sajjad Ali pahore
Roll No: BS-PS-0120-067
1st Year, 1st Semester
 INTRODUCTION
A FTER THE CREATION OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND ITS TIME AS A REPRESENTATIVE PARTY FOR THE
PEOPLE OF THE I NDIAN SUB- CONTINENT , THERE WAS FELT A NEED TO REASSESS ITS CLAIMS AT UNBIASED
REPRESENTATION . FROM THE VERY START OF ITS EXISTENCE THE C ONGRESS HAD SHOWN CLEAR ITS INTEREST TO
SAFEGUARD THE RIGHTS OF H INDUS , ALONE. SOME OF THE C ONGRESS LEADERS ADOPTED A REVOLUTIONARY POLICY
TO ESTABLISH H INDU R AJ IN THE SUB- CONTINENT UNDER THE GUISE OF A NATIONAL MOVEMENT .

THE PREDICTION OF SIR SYED A HMED KHAN SOON PROVED TO BE FACT THAT, “HINDUS AND MUSLIMS ARE TWO
DIFFERENT NATIONS WHO HAVE DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES .” THE M USLIMS OF INDIA WERE GREATLY DISAPPOINTED BY
THE ANTI-M USLIM STANCE THAT THE CONGRESS SEEMED TO HAVE ADOPTED. THE EVENTS FOLLOWING THE
PARTITION OF B ENGAL AND URDU -HINDU CONTROVERSY STRENGTHENED THE DESIRE OF THE M USLIMS TO
ORGANIZE THEMSELVES POLITICALLY AS SEPARATE COMMUNITY . THE BIRTH OF A LL I NDIA M USLIM L EAGUE AT
DACCA ON 30TH DECEMBER 1906 CAME AS AN EXPRESSION OF THAT DESIRE.

FOLLOWING ARE THE REASONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MUSLIM LEAGUE.

1. INDIFFERENT ATTITUDE OF THE CONGRESS TOWARDS MUSLIMS : ALL INDIA NATIONAL CONGRESS WAS A PRE-
DOMINANTLY HINDU BODY . I TS INTERESTS WERE ALWAYS AT ODDS ENDS TO THOSE OF THE M USLIMS . B Y 1906,
MUSLIM LEADERS WERE CONVINCED THAT THEY MUST HAVE THEIR OWN PARTY WHICH MAY SPEAK FOR THE
COMMUNITY ON ALL IMPORTANT OCCASIONS .
2. EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC BACKWARDNESS : MUSLIMS HAD LAGGED FAR BEHIND FROM THE HINDUS IN
EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS . E DUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS COULD ONLY BE UP GRADED BY
ESTABLISHING A SEPARATE M USLIMS ORGANIZATION THAT COULD REPRESENT THE WISHES OF THE MUSLIMS .
3. URDU-HINDI CONTROVERSY : THE URDU-HINDU CONTROVERSY BEGAN WITH THE DEMAND OF HINDUS TO
REPLACE URDU BY HINDI AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN DEVA N AGARI SCRIPT . S IR A NTHONY MACDONAL , THE THEN
GOVERNOR OF UP OUSTED URDU FROM PUBLIC OFFICES. CONGRESS CLEARLY SIDED WITH HINDI AND SUPPORTED
THE MOVEMENT AGAINST URDU AND THERE WAS NO OTHER POLITICAL PARTY TO SUPPORT U RDU. THUS , THE NEED
OF FORMATION OF A MUSLIM POLITICAL PARTY WAS FELT SEVERELY .
4. THE EVOLUTION OF MINTO MARLEY REFORMS: THE TURNING POINT CAME IN THE SUMMER OF 1906 DURING
JOHN MORLEY ’S BUDGET SPEECH, IN WHICH HE HINTED OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS . A T THAT TIME MUSLIMS
DID NOT HAVE A POLITICAL PLATFORM TO DEMAND THEIR SHARE. IT WAS REASSERTED THAT THEY WANTED A
SEPARATE POLITICAL PLATFORM .
5. THE SUCCESS OF SIMLA DEPUTATION: MINTO OFFERED FULLEST SYMPATHY TO THE MUSLIM DEMANDS . THE
SUCCESS OF D EPUTATION COMPELLED THE M USLIMS TO HAVE A SEPARATE POLITICAL ASSOCIATION OF THEIR OWN .
6. TO SAVE MUSLIM ENTITY: THE BELIEF UTTERED BY SIR SYED AHMED KHAN THAT THE MUSLIMS WERE
SOMEHOW A SEPARATE ENTITY . T HE MUSLIMS DID NOT BELIEVE THAT H INDUS AND MUSLIMS FORMED ONE
NATION. THEY WERE DIFFERENT BY RELIGION , HISTORY , LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATION . IT BECAME ESSENTIAL FOR
MUSLIMS TO ESTABLISH A POLITICAL PARTY OF THEIR OWN.
A RESOLUTION TO FORM THE ALL INDIA MUSLIM L EAGUE WAS PASSED BY NAWAB SALIMULLAH KHAN AND WAS
SECONDED BY HAKIM AJMAL KHAN , MAULANA MUHAMMAD A LI AND M OULANA Z AFAR A LI . T HE RESOLUTION
WAS PASSED BY A LL I NDIA E DUCATIONAL C ONFERENCE ON 30TH D ECEMBER 1906. A COMMITTEE WAS FORMED
TO PREPARE ITS DRAFT CONSTITUTION . SIR AGHA KHAN WAS APPOINTED AS PRESIDENT AND SYED HASSAN
B ALGRAMI WAS APPOINTED AS SECRETARY , WHILE NAWAB MOHSIM -UL-MULK AND NAWAB VIQAR- UL-MULK
WERE MADE JOINT SECRETARIES WITH SIX VICE - P RESIDENTS , A CENTRAL COMMITTEE WITH FORTY MEMBERS WAS
ALSO CONSTITUTED. IN THIS WAY MUSLIM LEAGUE WAS ESTABLISHED AND BECOME THE SOLE REPRESENTATIVE OF
MUSLIMS .
 KNOWING THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH LED TO THE FORMATION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE WAS NOT DIFFICULT TO MAKE
OUT WHAT IT AIMED TO. HOWEVER , THE M USLIM LEAGUE LAID THE FOLLOWING POINTS AS ITS OBJECTIVES .
1. TO CREATE AMONG MUSLIMS THE FEELINGS OF LOYALTY TOWARDS BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND TO REMOVE
MISCONCEPTION AND SUSPICIOUS .
2. TO SAFEGUARD THE POLITICAL RIGHTS OF THE MUSLIMS AND TO BRING THEM INTO THE NOTICE OF THE
GOVERNMENT .
3. TO PREVENT AMONG THE MUSLIMS , THE RISE OF PREJUDICIAL FEELINGS AGAINST THE OTHER COMMUNITIES OF
INDIA.
THE FIRST SESSION OF ALL INDIA MUSLIM LEAGUE WAS HELD AT KARACHI ON 29TH DECEMBER, 1907 AND WAS
PRESIDED OVER BY ADAMJI P EER B HAI.
IT WAS BEING FELT FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THE A LL INDIA MUSLIM LEAGUE WOULD NOT ACHIEVE
CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS WITHOUT WINNING THE BRITISH P UBLIC OPINION TO ITS SIDE . T HEREFORE , S YED A MEER
A LI ORGANIZED THE BRANCH OF MUSLIM LEAGUE AT L ONDON . THE INAUGURAL MEETING WAS HELD ON 6 TH MAY
1908, AT L ONDON CAXTON HALL. IT WAS PARTICIPATED BY THE MUSLIM AND THOSE B RITISH PEOPLE WHO
FAVOURED THEIR VIEW POINT .
THERE COME INTO BEING A POLITICAL BODY WHICH WAS TO PLAY A DECISIVE ROLE IN THE DESTINY OF THE MUSLIM
PEOPLES OF THE INDIAN SUB -CONTINENT . THE DAY THE M USLIM DELEGATION WON RECOGNITION OF THE DEMAND
OF SEPARATE ELECTORATE , THE COURSE OF THE M USLIM FREEDOM STRUGGLE WAS CHARTED . I T WAS THE
BEGINNING OF THE GROWTH OF MUSLIM NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS . I T FARMED VISIBLE INSTITUTIONAL
EXPRESSION IN THE FORM OF MUSLIM L EAGUE WHICH AFTER A FORTY (40) YEARS STRUGGLE WAS TO ACHIEVE FOR
THE M USLIMS THE CULMINATION OF THEIR NATIONAL ASPIRATION , M USLIM L EAGUE BECAME A MASS MOVEMENT
OF THE MUSLIMS AND SUCCEEDED IN ACHIEVING PAKISTAN IN 1974. A CTUALLY THE NEW BREED OF LEADERSHIP
LIKE QUAID -I-AZAM M UHAMMAD ALI JINNAH WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ITS METAMORPHOSIS .
A FTER THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE DEMAND OF SEPARATE REPRESENTATION IN THE MINTO MORELY REFORMS , IT WAS
COMMON SENSE TO HAVE POLITICAL PARTY TO FIGHT ELECTIONS FOR MUSLIM REPRESENTATION . WHATEVER MAY
HAVE BEEN THE EFFECTS OF M USLIM LEAGUE , BUT IT MADE CLEAR THAT THE INTERESTS OF M USLIMS MUST BE
REGARDED COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THOSE OF THE H INDUS . ANY FUSION OF BOTH THE COMMUNITIES IN
FUTURE WAS NOT POSSIBLE . I T STEERED THE SHIP OF MUSLIM DESTINY SAFELY THROUGH OF POLITICAL CHAOS AND
TURMOIL TO THE SAFER HARBOUR OF P AKISTAN.

FACTOR PROMOTING THE MUSLIM LEAGUE

 B RITISH P LAN- DIVIDING INDIAN ON COMMUNAL LINES AND ADHERED SEPARATIST ATTITUDE IN INDIAN
POLITICS . F OR EXAMPLE- SEPARATE ELECTORATE ,PLAYED CASTE POLITICS BETWEEN NON- B RAHMINS AND
B RAHMINS .
 L ACKS OF E DUCATION- MUSLIMS WERE ISOLATED FROM WESTERN AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION . THE
REASONS FOR THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE HINDUS AND THE M USLIMS WAS THE LACK OF EDUCATION AMONG THE
MUSLIMS AND IT OCCURRED WHEN THE BRITISH RULERS STARTED IMPARTING EDUCATION IN THE SUBCONTINENT .
THE H INDUS STOLE A QUICK ONE OVER THE MUSLIMS IN THAT THEY READILY ACCEPTED TO BE ARMED WITH
WESTERN EDUCATION WHILE THE M USLIMS RESISTED .
 L OSS SOVEREIGNTY BY MUSLIMS - 1857 REVOLT MAKES BRITISH TO THINK THAT MUSLIMS ARE
DANGEROUS FOR THEIR COLONIAL POLICY . A S THEY WERE ESTABLISHED THEIR RULE AFTER DETHRONING THE
MUGHAL RULE .
 E XPRESSION OF R ELIGIOUS COLOUR-MOST OF THE HISTORIANS AND RADICAL NATIONALISTS GLORIFIED
INDIA’S ONE SIDE OF OUR COMPOSITE CULTURE . THEY PRAISES WERE BIASED BECAUSE  SHIVAJI , RANA PRATAP  ETC
WERE PARAISES BUT THEY REMAINED SILENT ON  AKBAR , SHER S HAH S URI , A LLAUDDIN KHALJI , T IPU SULTAN   ETC .
 E CONOMIC BACKWARDNESS OF INDIA- LACK OF INDUSTRIALISATION CAUSES ACUTE UNEMPLOYMENT AND
B RITISH ATTITUDE TOWARDS COTTAGE INDUSTRY WAS PATHETIC.
 OBJECTIVES OF THE FORMATION OF LEAGUE
 TO PROMOTE LOYALTY OF INDIAN MUSLIMS TOWARDS THE B RITISH GOVERNMENT.
 TO PROTECT THE POLITICAL AND OTHER RIGHTS OF THE INDIAN MUSLIMS AND TO PLACE THEIR NEEDS AND
ASPIRATIONS BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT .
 TO OVERCOME ON THE FEELING OF HOSTILITY AMONG MUSLIMS TOWARDS OTHER COMMUNITIES .

Enforcement of Sovereignty of Allah Almighty

An Islamic state is established and progresses considering supreme the ordainments of God Almighty. Its
matters are decided on the concept of the sovereignty of God Almighty only. Pakistan was created for
the Muslims where Islamic principles could prevail.
Preservation of Muslim Culture
Colonies’ social and cultural institutions are affected and shaped by the colonizers’ preferences. The
British established their system where Hindus accelerated their careers while Muslim identity and
culture were in danger at the hands of their colonizers as well as hostile Hindu majority. The creation of
Pakistan was needed to preserve Muslim culture and social institutions.
Protection and revival of Muslim Identity
Muslims remained dominant for centuries. Their identity was jeopardized when, because of the Muslim
empire’s weakness as well as the cunning leadership of East India Company, the British took over the
echelons of power of the subcontinent. Muslims wanted to regain their lost identity. Additionally, and
more importantly, the prejudicial attitude of Hindus against the Muslim population made their life
difficult, to say the least. Muslims needed security from the majority Hindu domination; after sacrificing
so much, Muslims were able to get their right of a separate homeland due to perseverance and
determination of Quaid e Azam.
Establishment of a balanced economic system
The economic system is the backbone of every society. Muslims in the subcontinent did not have their
economic system and relied on the British; additionally, Hindus were dominating the public offices and
educational setup. Muslims were lacking in many ways and could not compete economically on equal
grounds with the Hindus because of unfair patronage to the Hindus by the Britishers after the war of
mutiny in 1857, where Muslims were held responsible for the whole event.
Two Nation theory
Two Nation theory was coined officially by Allama Iqbal in his Allahabad address of 1930, however, the
concept has been around from a long time; Al-Beruni, in his book Kitab ul Hind also alludes to the
prejudicial and racial nature of Hindus, Mujaddid Alf Sani also gave the concept years before the theory
got into mainstream explicitly. The reasons were many; Muslims and Hindus were distinct and separate
in many ways. The social fabric of the subcontinent never saw the two communities merge completely
and one could easily recognize their differences at a glance. The essence of the theory is that Muslims
are socially, economically, culturally, historically, religiously and politically different from the Hindus;
they need a separate homeland to practice their believes as the two communities cannot coexist
peacefully due to the gleaming differences in their ways of life.
Freedom from the prejudicial majority rule
Muslims, after the War of Independence 1857 was held responsible and were persecuted by the
Britishers. They granted major public offices to Hindus and kept Muslims alienated from the higher ranks
of government setup. Hindus took advantage of the situation and started a persecution of their own;
they used to stop Muslims from practicing Islam and live life with freedom. The Congress rule of 1937
was the last nail in the coffin of Hindu-Muslim unity and a united India; it made the Muslim leadership
realize that Hindus are incorrigible, and Muslims can’t practice their ideology living alongside such a
hostile Hindu majority. Therefore, the 1940s was the decade when Muslims asserted their demand for
separate homeland more vigorously.
Establishment of Islamic Democracy
Islamic democracy believes in the sovereignty of God where people can use their right to suggest any
changes in governance setup, however, not in the matters already decided by the Almighty. Allah
Almighty has prescribed a complete political system for an Islamic state different from the western
concept of democracy where people are put supreme. Islam does not suggest democracy based on the
concept of “of the people, by the people, for the people”.
We can assume that the aims and objectives of Pakistan got clearer to the Muslims of the subcontinent
as time passed; the most prominent aim of Pakistan’s creation was to get a laboratory where Muslims
could practice an Islamic way of life.