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The freedom movement: Class 9 Pakistan Studies
The causes of the Muslim demand for a separate state, the main events from 1857 to 1947, the leaders and the road to independence on 14 August 1947.
Key points
After the War of Independence of 1857, the British ended the rule of the East India Company and the Mughal court. Muslims, who had ruled much of India, were blamed by the British and fell behind in education and government service. Hindus accepted English education faster and gained the better jobs.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan urged Muslims to take up modern education and to avoid conflict with the British. He founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875, which later became the Aligarh Muslim University. The Aligarh movement trained a generation of Muslim leaders.
The Partition of Bengal in 1905 created a Muslim majority province in the east, and Hindu leaders protested strongly against it. In October 1906 a Muslim delegation met the Viceroy at Simla and asked for separate electorates. In December 1906 the All India Muslim League was founded at Dhaka to protect the political rights of Muslims.
The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was an agreement between the Muslim League and the Congress, in which the Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims. In 1919 the Khilafat movement began in India to support the Ottoman Caliph, and many Muslims took part in it with Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Shaukat Ali as leaders. The movement ended in the early 1920s without reaching its aim.
In 1928 the Nehru Report proposed a constitution without the protection that Muslims wanted. In reply, Muhammad Ali Jinnah put forward his Fourteen Points in 1929, which stated the main demands of the Muslims, such as a federal system and fair representation. In 1930 Allama Muhammad Iqbal, speaking at the Allahabad session of the Muslim League, suggested that the Muslim majority areas in the north west of India should form a state.
The Round Table Conferences were held in London from 1930 to 1932, but they did not produce an agreement. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave the provinces self government. In the elections of 1937 the Congress won most of the provinces, and its ministries treated Muslims unfairly, according to the League. This increased the sense that Muslims needed their own homeland.
On 23 March 1940, at Lahore, the Muslim League passed the resolution that is now called the Pakistan Resolution. It was moved by A. K. Fazlul Haq and demanded that the areas where Muslims were in a majority should be grouped into independent states. In the elections of 1945 and 1946, the League won nearly all the Muslim seats, which showed that it spoke for the Muslims of India.
The Cabinet Mission of 1946 proposed a plan for a united India, but it failed when the Congress and the League could not agree on how to carry it out. On 3 June 1947 the last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, announced the plan for partition. The Indian Independence Act of July 1947 ended British rule, and Pakistan came into being on 14 August 1947 with Muhammad Ali Jinnah as its first Governor General.
Study tip: Draw a timeline from 1857 to 1947 with the year, the event and one line on its effect. It covers most of the questions in this chapter.
Definitions and flashcards
Say the meaning first, then open the card to check.
Separate electorates
A system in which a community votes only for candidates of its own community.
Simla Deputation
The Muslim delegation that met the Viceroy in October 1906.
Khilafat movement
The movement of Indian Muslims to support the Ottoman Caliph.
Lucknow Pact
The 1916 agreement between the League and the Congress.
Fourteen Points
The demands of the Muslims presented by Jinnah in 1929.
Pakistan Resolution
The resolution passed at Lahore on 23 March 1940.
Cabinet Mission
The British mission of 1946 that proposed a plan for India.
Partition
The division of British India into Pakistan and India in 1947.
Short questions with model answers
These are the kind of questions asked for 2, 3 and 5 marks. Try each one before opening the answer.
Why was the All India Muslim League founded? (3 marks)
It was founded at Dhaka in December 1906 to protect the political rights and interests of the Muslims of India, because they feared that the Hindu majority would dominate the government.
What was the importance of the Lucknow Pact of 1916? (3 marks)
It was an agreement between the League and the Congress. The Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims, so the League was recognised as the representative of Muslims. It showed that the two parties could cooperate.
What did Allama Iqbal say in the Allahabad address of 1930? (3 marks)
He suggested that the Muslim majority areas in the north west of India should be joined to form a single state within or outside the Indian federation, to protect the religion and culture of Muslims.
State the Pakistan Resolution. (3 marks)
It was passed at Lahore on 23 March 1940 and was moved by A. K. Fazlul Haq. It demanded that the areas where Muslims were in a majority should be grouped to form independent states.
Describe the work of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. (5 marks)
After 1857 he urged Muslims to take up modern education and to avoid conflict with the British. He founded a college at Aligarh in 1875, wrote on the causes of the events of 1857 and encouraged the Muslims to learn English and science. His movement produced educated leaders.
Why did the Cabinet Mission fail? (3 marks)
It proposed a united India with a weak centre and groups of provinces. The Congress and the League could not agree on how the plan would be applied, so the plan failed and the partition became more likely.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the dates of 1905, 1906 and 1916. Make a timeline.
- Saying that the Pakistan Resolution was moved by Jinnah. It was moved by A. K. Fazlul Haq.
- Writing that Pakistan came into being on 15 August. It was 14 August 1947.
- Giving events with no reason, when the question asks why or what was the effect.