LAHORE
RESOLUTION - MODERN HISTORY
News:
Pakistan's embassy to
observe National Day in Delhi: A brief history
What's
in the news?
●
Islamabad's embassy in New Delhi is likely
to celebrate the Pakistan National Day, observed on March 23 this year.
Key
takeaways:
●
The Pakistan
National Day is observed at the Pakistan embassy complex in New Delhi,
typically attended by foreign diplomats and Indian dignitaries.
●
The event features the playing of national
anthems of both countries and addresses by the Pakistan high commissioner and
invited guests, fostering diplomatic ties.
Lahore
Resolution:
●
The Lahore Resolution was adopted by the All-India Muslim League during its
session in Lahore from March 22 to March 24, 1940.
●
The resolution does not include the word ‘Pakistan’ anywhere.
Objective:
●
It formally called for an independent state for India’s Muslims,
laying the groundwork for the creation of Pakistan.
Reasons
for Lahore Resolution:
1.
Growing Dissent:
●
The resolution reflected the culmination
of growing demands for Muslim autonomy within India, amid concerns over
representation and safeguarding of rights.
2.
Impactful Events:
●
The session coincided with the Khaksar
tragedy and featured a pivotal address by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, solidifying his
leadership role in the movement for a separate Muslim state.
3.
Government of India Act, 1935:
●
The Lahore Resolution emerged against the
backdrop of the GoI Act, 1935, which granted separate electorates to Muslims
and served as a catalyst for the demand for Muslim autonomy.
Terms
of Resolution:
Group
of Independent States:
●
Geographically contiguous units are
demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial
readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are
numerically in a majority as in the
North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute
“Independent States” in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and
sovereign.
Rights
of Minorities:
●
In other parts of India where the
Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards
shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and other minorities
for the protection of their religious,
cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in
consultation with them.
Criticism:
●
The Lahore Resolution was criticised by
many Indian Muslims, like Abul Kalam
Azad and the Deoband ulema led by Husain Ahmad Madani, who advocated for a
united India.
Go
back to basics:
Constitutional
Transformation (1956):
●
Pakistan officially adopted its first
Constitution on March 23, coinciding with the Lahore Resolution, signifying the
transition from the Dominion of Pakistan
to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Symbolic
Structure:
●
The Minar-e-Pakistan,
erected at the site of the Lahore Resolution, commemorates this historic event,
with the resolution’s text inscribed at its base.