Pak301 ( Lecture 2)

Development of Muslim Identity and Two-Nation Theory

• The sense of nationhood developed among Muslims before the establishment of Pakistan, with the goal of protecting and promoting their identity and interests.
• Muslims adopted a strategy to get constitutional safeguards from the British against the Hindu majority, but due to antagonistic treatment, they set a goal of a separate state.
• Islam had a central place in further developments, and good leadership infused awareness, consciousness, mobilization, sense of direction, and defense against adversaries.

Role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah

• Jinnah was a history-making leader who changed the course of history, possessing visionary leadership, commitment to the cause, and political mobilization capacity.
• He played a decisive role in articulating Muslim demands and pursuing them despite strong opposition from Hindus and the British.
• Jinnah started his political career in 1906 by joining the Indian National Congress and was elected to the Legislative Council in 1909.
• He joined the All India Muslim League (AIML) in 1913 and was a member of both parties.
• Jinnah resigned from the Congress in 1920 due to disagreements with Gandhi on the issue of Swaraj (self-rule) and extra-constitutional means.

The Lucknow Pact and Jinnah's 14 Points

• The Lucknow Pact (1916) was signed, where Hindus accepted Muslim demands:
  • Separate Electorate
  • One-third Seats in Central Legislature
  • Protection of minority rights
• However, the Nehru Report ignored Muslim rights, prompting Jinnah to present 14 Points in 1929, defining Muslim identity and mobilizing them with reference to Islam.
• Jinnah used Islamic principles, concepts, and symbols in his speeches and statements, arguing that Muslims were a separate entity from Hindus and Congress.

Jinnah's Nationalism and Islam

• Jinnah used the term "NATION" for the Muslims of India in Feb 1935 (Legislative Assembly).
• He argued that the combination of religion, culture, race, arts, music, and so forth made a minority a separate entity.
• In March 1936, Jinnah stated that Muslims could arrive at a settlement with Hindus as two nations.
• In 1937, he asserted that there is also a third party in India, the Muslims.
• In 1939, Jinnah declared that Muslims and Hindus were two nations that would live and play a part as a nation.

Quaid-i-Azam's Views on Islam

• Jinnah believed in the force of Islam as a dynamic force that could unite Muslims, overcome crises, and provide ethical foundation and guidance for constitution-making and governance.
• He assured that the constitution of Pakistan would be framed by an elected assembly, and it would be a modern democratic and Islamic state.
• Jinnah guaranteed equality of all citizens, rights, and freedom to religious minorities in the new state.

Allama Iqbal's Vision of a Separate Muslim State

• Iqbal was a poet, philosopher, and nationalist by ideas, conscious of Islam's significance in Muslim lives.
• His poetry was a critique of societal conditions, and he knew the weaknesses of Western culture, criticizing capitalism, materialism, and lack of spiritualism.
• Iqbal focused on the conditions of Indian Muslims, believing that Islam could salvage them, save them, and help them overcome internal discord and external challenges.

Iqbal's Address to the Muslim League

• In his address to the Muslim League Session, Allahabad, December 1930, Iqbal proposed the amalgamation of the Punjab, NWFP, Sind, and Balochistan into a single state as a self-governing entity within the British empire or without.