The history of Pakistan (Urdu:

) encompasses the history of the region constituting

modern Pakistan. Prior to independence in 1947, the territory of modern Pakistan was a part of
the British Indian Empire. Prior to that it was ruled in different periods by local kings and numerous
imperial powers. The ancient history of the region comprising present-day Pakistan also includes
some of the oldest of the names of empires of South Asia[1] and some of its major civilizations.[2][3][4][5]
In the 19th century, the land was incorporated into British India. Pakistan's political history began
with the birth of the All India Muslim League in 1906 to protect "Muslim interests, amid neglect and
under-representation" and to oppose Congress; in return the British Raj would decide to grant local
self-rule. On 29 December 1930, philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal called for an autonomous new
state in "northwestern India for Indian Muslims".[6] The League rose to popularity in the late
1930s. Muhammad Ali Jinnah espoused the Two Nation Theory and led the League to adopt
theLahore Resolution[7] of 1940, demanding the formation of independent states in the East and the
West of British India. Eventually, a successful movement led by Jinnah resulted in the partition of
India and independence from Britain, on 14 August 1947.