Political Awakening in India: All-India Muslim League and Lucknow Pact

All-India Muslim League

• First session held in Karachi in 1907, attended by famous Muslim leaders such as Nawab Salimullah, Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk, and many others.
• Proved to be a real representative of Muslims in India, providing a platform for the struggle for independence.

Lucknow Pact (1916)

• A joint session between the Congress and the Muslim League was held in Lucknow in 1916, marking the first political settlement between Muslims and Hindus.
• Led to further unity, with Gandhi from Congress supporting the Muslims in their struggle for the restoration of the Khilafat in the Ottoman empire.

Montague-Chelmsford Reforms (1919)

• The British government promised Indians self-rule in exchange for their assistance in winning World War I.
• The Government of India Act, 1919 introduced diarchy, where some powers were reserved and controlled by Governors of the provinces, while others were transferred to the provincial Legislative Councils.
• Separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims were introduced, and a commission was set up to meet after ten years to decide whether India was ready for further concessions.

Khilafat Movement (1919)

• Initiated by the Ali Brothers, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali, the movement supported the cause of the Ottoman Caliphate.
• The Indian Muslims demanded fair treatment for Turkey after the end of World War I.
• The Treaty of Sevres carved up the Ottoman Empire into mandates to be administered by Britain, France, and Italy, despite the support of the Khilafat Movement in British India.
• The Khilafat was abolished in 1924, and Khalifa Abdul Majid II was exiled.

Non-Cooperation Movement

• A series of attempts made by the British to repress the wave of Indian nationalism, leading to the non-cooperation movement.
• Indians boycotted elections, government institutions, foreign goods, and even resigned titles given by the British government.
• Gandhi called off the non-cooperation movement in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident.

Delhi Muslim Proposal (1927)

• Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah proposed that if the Hindu-majority Congress agreed to protect the rights of Muslims, the Muslim League would give up their demand for separate electorates.
• The proposal included separating Sindh from Bombay, introducing reforms in the North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan, and ensuring one-third representation in the central legislature for Muslims.

Simon Commission (1927)

• A commission headed by Sir John Simon was sent to the subcontinent to investigate the constitutional problems in British India.
• The Commission, comprising only British members, was boycotted by the Congress and some Muslim leaders, including Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.