Communalism and the Demand for Pakistan
Communalism grew from British "divide and rule", the 1909 and 1919 separate electorates, and the League's political rise, and ended in the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the partition of 1947.
Stages of the demand
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1906 to 1909 | Simla Deputation, Muslim League, separate electorates (Morley-Minto). |
| 1916 | Lucknow Pact: Congress accepts separate electorates. |
| 1927 | Delhi Muslim Proposals: separation of Sindh, reform in NWFP and Baluchistan, and one-third of central seats for Muslims. |
| 1928 to 1929 | Nehru Report rejected by Jinnah. Fourteen Points (1929). |
| 1930 | Allama Muhammad Iqbal (Allahabad address of the Muslim League) spoke of a Muslim state in the north-west. |
| 1933 | Choudhry Rahmat Ali coined the name "Pakistan" in the pamphlet Now or Never. |
| 1937 | Congress ministries; League's refusal of a coalition in UP. |
| 1940 | Lahore Resolution (23 March 1940) moved by Fazlul Haq: Muslim-majority areas "should be grouped to constitute independent states". Jinnah argued for the two-nation theory. It was called the "Pakistan Resolution" though the word did not appear. |
| 1944 | Rajagopalachari Formula; Gandhi-Jinnah talks (Bombay, September 1944) failed. |
| 1945 to 1946 | League won all 30 Muslim seats in the Central Assembly and most provincial Muslim seats. Direct Action Day (16 August 1946). |
Causes of communal growth
- Divide and rule by the British, and separate electorates.
- Communal interpretation of history (British and some Indian writers).
- Hindu and Muslim revivalism, and socio-religious reform linked to religious identity.
- Economic rivalry (jobs and education) between the middle classes.
- Failure of the Congress to bring in the Muslim masses; the Hindu Mahasabha, RSS and the League.
- Riots after 1922.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.