Lahore Resolution (1940

On March 23, 1940, the Lahore session of the Muslim League adopted a proposal for the
establishment of multiple independent states in the Muslim-dominated areas of North-West
and North-East India. Which is known as 'Lahore Proposal'. In the session held under the
chairmanship of Muslim League President Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Chief Minister of Bengal
A. K. Fazlul Haque proposed this proposal. He unequivocally declared, “......I am a Muslim
first and a Bengali second…I have got the right to raise the proposal to establish a home for
Muslims." However, later this proposal was distorted and shaped as 'Pakistan Proposal', which
inevitably led to the creation of the state of Pakistan on the basis of religion in 1947.
Background to the Lahore proposal
This claim dates back to the 19th century. In view of all the factors and conditions, the Lahore
Resolution was adopted on March 23, 1940 in the Lahore Session of the Muslim League,
which demanded the establishment of a separate state for the Muslims.
Role of the British Government:
Since the establishment of the Muslim League in 190. Muslims tend to think as a separate
nation. According to Morley-Minto Reform Act of 1909, Muslims are given the right to elect
representatives on communal basis. In 1909, Lord Morley declared in the House of Lords of
England, Indian. Muslims follow not only a separate religion, but social behavior as well They
are equivalent to a separate nation in terms of lifestyle.
Lucknow Pact and Jinnah's Fourteen Points:
During and after the First World War, Muslims had been demanding separate elections. This
was reflected in the Lucknow Pact (1916), Jinnah's Fourteen Points (1929). After the First
World War, the influence of the Ulema community on politics further strengthened the
isolation of Muslims.
Influence of Hindu Nationalists:
The poison of communalism in subcontinental politics became more concentrated when
Congress president Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru remarked that the existence of two forces in India
was notable, one was the government and the other was the Congress party. He and the
Congress leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, were reluctant to accept the existence of any
other party. Their attitude created an adverse reaction among the Muslim leaders.
Failure of the Round Table Conference:
The Round Table Conference was organized in London in 1939 with the representatives of the
British Government, various Indian parties, communities and native states to resolve the
Hindu-Muslim problem and reduce the tension due to extreme isolation among the people of
the Indian subcontinent. The round table meeting on the question of representation in the
legislature to preserve the communal interests of the Congress leaders failed.
Effectivity of the Rule of India Act, 1935:
The Rule of India Act, 1935 failed to fulfill the aspirations of the Indian public. That is why
this law could not be fully implemented as both the Congress and the Muslim League opposed
it. The Act was enforced only in the provinces and in 1937 elections were held in the provinces.
The Muslim League achieved significant success in this, but failed to form a single cabinet in
the legislature. As a result, the League was forced to form a cabinet in association with the
Congress was rejected by the Congress.
Declaration of Jinnah's Two-Nation Theory: The 27th session of the Muslim League was
held in Lahore on March 22-23, 1940. Muslim League president Muhammad Ali Jinnah
announced the "Two Nations Theory" in his presidential address on March 22. Explaining the
political, economic and social nature of bi-nation, he said, India's problem is not inter-
communal, apparently it is an international problem. The only course open to us is to divide
India into two self-governing nation-states by helping the major nations to form separate
homelands.

LAHORE PROPOSAL CLAUSES

The day before the presentation of the Lahore proposal. K. Fazlul Haque was given the title of
'Shere Bangla' or Tiger of Bengal. Analyzing his proposal, we may conclude some features as
follows.
1. Geographically contiguous areas should be identified as separate regions through necessary
adjustments.
2. The geographical boundaries of all these regions should be changed as necessary and
independent states should be established in the north-west and east regions of India where
Muslims are the majority.
3. All these independent and sovereign states will be autonomous.
4. Effective measures to safeguard the cultural, administrative and other rights and interests of
the minority communities in India and the newly formed Muslim states in consultation with
them
must be
5. These issues are fundamental in any future political plan of the country
should be adopted as a policy.
 Lahore Proposal was Pakistan Proposal or Not.

An analysis of the clauses of the Lahore proposal reveals some ambiguities and contradictions.
Firstly, the proposal uses words like "Independent States" and "Sovereign" in such a way that
it is difficult to recover the real meaning. There is talk of forming several independent states
with majority Muslim regions in North-West and East of India. But it is not clearly stated that
these states.
Some say that it uses the plural form of Independent States, meaning states consisting of
Muslim-majority areas, meaning two Muslim states—one in the western part of India and the
other in the eastern part. This suggests that the Lahore Resolution sought full independence
for the Muslim-dominated areas of the subcontinent. The resolution does not mention an
integral state (Pakistan); Rather, two independent and sovereign plans can be observed, one in
North-West India comprising Sindh, Baluchistan and the border provinces and Kashmir, and
the other in North-East India comprising Bangladesh and Assam.
The original Lahore Resolution called for the creation of a number of "independent states"
from the Muslim-majority areas in the north-west and east of India.
Nowhere was there a mention of a Muslim state or the word 'Pakistan'. The day after its
acceptance, Congress-dominated newspapers published the demands of the League's proposal
under the title 'Pakistan Proposal'. The 'Lahore Proposal' was later referred to as the 'Pakistan
Proposal' in the British press.