S3H

Pakistan Studies (LLB – 112)

Week 5: The Pakistan Movement (1940 – 1947)

Ms. Rehma Rabab Hyder

rehma.hyder@s3h.nust.edu.pk
Fall 2020

Rehma Hyder | Pakistan Studies | Fall 2020 1

Lecture Outline S3H

Main Topic: The Pakistan Movement (1940 – 1947)

World War II (1939-1945) and its impact on the sub-continent –
Increasing demand for Independence.
1. Lahore Resolution (1940) - Revisiting The Two Nation Theory
2. Cripps Mission and the Quit India Movement (1942)
3. Simla Conference and Indian Elections (1945)
4. The Cabinet Mission Plan [CMP] (Feb.-July 1946)
5. The Partition Plan (3rd June 1947) and The Radcliffe Award
(Aug.1947)

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 Lahore Resolution 1940 S3H

• AIML resurgence was solidified by the now historic 23rd March,

Lahore session that led to the formal adoption of the Two-Nation
theory by Indian Muslims. As Jinnah said:
“The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious
philosophies, social customs, literatures. They neither
intermarry or interdine, and indeed they belong to two different
civilizations which are based on conflicting ideas and
conceptions”
• The Two-Nation theory had been put forth before by Sir Syed,
Iqbal & Ch. Rehmat Ali, but Jinnah’s speech and AIML resolution
provided a clear aim and direction to the Muslims of India i.e. to
protect a minority from a majority

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Main resolution states:
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“No constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to
the Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principles, that
geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should
be so constituted with such territorial adjustments as may be necessary,
that areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, as in the
north-western & eastern zones of India, should be grouped to constitute
‘Independent States’ in which the constituent units shall be autonomous &
sovereign.”
• Though Pakistan was not mentioned, the Press dubbed it the Pakistan
resolution wrt. Ch. Rehmat coining the name in 1933. Ch. Rehmat Ali’s
Pakistan scheme included a commonwealth of Muslim nations that unlike
Iqbal’s vision, accounted for Muslims living in the Hindu majority areas.
• With this resolution AIML added a new factor to Indian politics while
Britain strived for its survival in WWII

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 S3H

Map of Muslim
Majority and minority
provinces 1940
ref. The Struggle for Pakistan (2014)
by Ayesha Jalal, pg. 16

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Cripps Mission 1942 S3H

• WWII economically exhausted Britain while their rule in India

became jeopardized by Japanese Eastern assault (Burma and
Singapore compromised, Calcutta bombed)
• Americans pressurized Britain to seek cooperation with Indian
politicians to aid the war effort and Sir Stafford Cripps was sent
as an emissary
Cripps Offered:
1. Dominion status for India after war - right to frame its own
constitution
2. India could leave British commonwealth
3. Provinces that wished to remain out of the proposed Union of
India could do so under the ‘non-accession’ clause
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 Quit India Movement 1942 S3H

1. Cripps proposal was rejected by

Congress as they argued for nothing less
than immediate Independence, also
non-accession clause could materialize
into Pakistan and even other states.
2. Any proposal hinting Divide of India
was vehemently rejected by Congress,
resulting in the Quit India Movement
(another civil disobedience movement)
3. AIML did not accept Cripps proposal as
the non-acceding provinces would have
to vote in a joint electorate system and
not through separate electorates
4. Hence, AIML responded with Divide and Aug. 1942 – Quit India Movement
Quit to Congress’s Quit India https://www.inc.in/en/in-focus/indian-independence-in-
photographs?tag=organization%20%3E%20In%20Focus

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 Simla Conference 1945 S3H

Congress hopes of Britain losing war were

dashed and major leaders of Quit India
including Gandhi and Nehru were arrested
1. Nearing the end to WWII, new viceroy
Lord Wavell released Congress leaders
and called for a combined meeting of all
political parties at Simla in June 1945
2. Wavell proposed an all Indian Executive
Council i.e. to end federal diarchy under
GOI act 1935
3. Negotiations failed as Jinnah (now AIML
President) declared that only AIML, being
the sole spokesman of Indian Muslims
had right to nominate Muslim members to
the council which Congress opposed
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Indian Elections 1945
1. To end political deadlock, fresh S3H

elections were held Dec.1945-Jan.1946

2. AIML did exceptionally well, secured all
30 Muslim seats in the central Indian
Legislative Assembly
3. In the elections to the various
provincial assemblies, AIML won
446/495 Muslim seats
Jinnah meeting a potential voter in the Punjab during
4. The electoral win solidified Jinnah’s the 1945-46 national and provincial elections in India.
claim at Simla that AIML was the sole
spokesman of the Indian Muslims Though overall the INC gained the most seats
across India, AIML bagged 87.2% of the Muslim
5. With the shift in govt. in Britain from votes, thus becoming the largest Muslim
conservative to liberal, the idea of nationalist party in the country.
Indian dominion became more realistic https://www.dawn.com/news/1310662
and AIML was recognized as the key
representative of Indian Muslims
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 Britain post World War II
1. Though Britain won WWII it lost its economic S3H

& imperialist powers; USA emerged as

superior power
2. 1945 British elections, new Labor govt.
formed under PM Clement Atlee replacing
Winston Churchill
3. Labor party conscious of Britain’s economic
plight wanted to transfer power to Indians
particularly Congress (overall majority party)
4. Unresolved question of minorities & pledges
made to the 565 Princely states
5. Viceroy, Lord Wavell desired a united India but Poster printed soon after AIML won a majority
could not make Congress agree on Muslim in Punjab, Bengal & Sindh during 1946 election
safeguards in future Indian constitution in British India. The victory accelerated the
6. To resolve deadlock, Atlee sent 3 of his cabinet creation of Pakistan. AIML opponents in election
were Congress, Jamiat Ulema Islam-Hind, Union
members to India
Party & Majlis-e-Ahrar.
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Cabinet Mission Plan (Feb.-July 1946)
Members of the Cabinet Mission: S3H

a) Lord Frederick Pethick-Lawrence

b) Sir Richard Stafford Cripps
c) Albert V.Alexander
• Gandhi & Nehru dominated proceedings; Gandhi made a
secret pact with Pethick-Lawrence that any final plan of
the CMP would be a proposal (Not binding on either
party)
• CMP gave two proposals to AIML:
1. Autonomous not sovereign Pakistan with 6 provinces,
part of Union of India
2. Fully sovereign Pakistan with Punjab & Bengal partition.
(Pakistani Punjab wouldn’t include Gurdaspur; this wasn’t
conveyed to Jinnah, as Gurdaspur provided India an all-
weather access to Kashmir)
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Proposed Plan by the Cabinet Mission -(16th May 1946) S3H

The Union: a legislature, powers of taxation, Defence, communications

necessary for Defence and Foreign Affairs
Long term plan: Grouping of Provinces
1. Group A: Hindu majority provinces (Bombay, Madras, Bihar, UP, Orissa
and Central Province
2. Group B: N-W Muslim majority provinces (Sindh, Punjab, NWFP,
Baluchistan)
3. Group C: N-E Muslim majority provinces (Bengal, Assam)
▪ Groups would frame their own constitution while constitution for the
Union will be made in next stage
▪ Province could opt out of a group after the 1st election under the new
constitution was held but not before.
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Role of Congress as Spoiler to CMP S3H

1. 6th June 1946, after much deliberation the AIML voted in favor of the
CMP as Jinnah believed:
a) Muslims will have sufficient autonomy to develop economically
and culturally
b) British would uphold their plan despite Congress dislike for
grouping clause
2. 25th June 1946, Congress accepted CMP with view that provinces
were free to reject grouping
3. British confirmed that grouping of provinces was a necessary clause
of CMP and must be agreed to
4. 10th July 1946, Nehru held press conference stating that Congress
did not accept grouping & was not bound by any agreement to do so

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 Call for Direct Action by AIML -(July-August 1946)
• 29th July 1946, AIML withdraws support for CMP S3H
and Jinnah called for Direct Action, disappointed
by Congress leaders
• 16th Aug. :Direct Action Day, commemorated
peacefully all over India except at Calcutta
(Hindu-Muslim riots)
• 2nd Sep.: Congress forms Interim government. Led
by Liaquat Ali Khan, AIML joins govt. on 26th Oct.
• Liaquat Ali played pivotal role in convincing new
viceroy Lord Mountbatten on division of Indian
armed forces
• Feb. 1947, Liaquat Ali as finance member,
presented the last budget of United India which
imposed greater taxes on the rich and providing
relief for the poor
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led Congress protest to
the “Islamic budget” and declared Congress
desire for partition
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The Partition Plan (3rd June 1947)
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On 3rd
June 1947, the partition plan (Indian Independence
Act 1947) was declared simultaneously at House of Lords,
House of Commons and Viceroy House in New Delhi.
1. British would transfer powers to two successor
authorities Congress (India) and AIML (Pakistan) while
these 2 dominions would remain within British
Commonwealth
2. British paramountcy over 565 princely states would
lapse constitutionally (they were given an option of
independence originally)
3. GOI Act 1935 would be followed till both states made
their own constitutions Viceroy Lord Mountbatten disclosing
4. The Act received King George VI’s assent on 18th June Britain's plan to partition India, in New
which provided for the partition of Punjab and Bengal Delhi, (From left ) Jawaharlal Nehru,
Lord Ismay, Adviser to the Viceroy,
Termed a ‘compromise settlement’ Congress and AIML Mountbatten, and M.A. Jinnah, President
agreed of the All-India Muslim League
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 The Radcliffe Award (17th Aug.1947)
Boundary Commission
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1. Separate Bengal and Punjab boundary commissions

formulated (2 AIML and 2 Congress members, of high
judicial standing under chairman, Sir Cyril Radcliffe)
2. Radcliffe Award’s controversy: Muslim majority areas in
Punjab i.e. Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Zira handed over at
last minute to state of India
3. Gurdaspur provided India with an all-weather access to
Kashmir
4. Ferozepur and Zira held control of River Sutlej and Beas
5. The Award’s though grossly unfair were accepted by
Jinnah as Pakistan was honor-bound to do so
https://thediplomat.com/2017/08/70-years-of-the-radcliffe-line-understanding-the-
story-of-indian-partition/
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 India Wins Freedom
14th Aug. 1947 – Dominion of Pakistan | 15th Aug. 1947 – Dominion of India S3H

https://www.dawn.com/news/149
8608

https://scroll.in/article/748690/h
ow-indian-newspapers-reported-
independence-and-partition-in-
1947

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 Role of Majority Provinces S3H

refer to Chap. 24, Kazimi, M. R. (2012)

East Pakistan (Bengal) – present day Bangladesh
West Pakistan (Sindh, Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan)
1. Bengal
2. Sindh
3. Punjab
4. NWFP – now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
5. Balochistan

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Next Week: S3H

Main Topic: Pakistan: a nascent Muslim majority state – Issues

and challenges (1947 – 1962)
→ Ideology of Pakistan
→ M. A Jinnah as 1st Governor – General of Pakistan (1947 –
1948)
→ Liaquat Era (1948 – 1951)
→ Democratic Experiment (1951 – 1958)
→Constitutional challenges – 1949 and 1956
→ First Military Regime (1958 – 1969)
→Constitutional challenge – 1962
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