| The All India Muslim League held its session | | | | expression could be that history is a back |
| in Lahore on 23 March 1940, in which the | | | | swing for a stroke played into the |
| famous Lahore Resolution, since then called | | | | future.Choose whichever axiom you like. But |
| the 'Pakistan Resolution' was adopted. The | | | | do realize that we must learn from past |
| resolution read as under:RESOLVED that it is | | | | experience. Be it the Pakistan Resolution |
| the considered view of this session of the | | | | printed alongside, be it the 1906 address |
| All India Muslim League that no | | | | presented to Viceroy Minto, reproduced on the |
| Constitutional Plan would be workable in this | | | | next page, or be it the memorandum presented |
| country or acceptable to Muslims, unless it | | | | to prime minister Manmohan Singh, highlighted |
| is designed on the following basic principle, | | | | on page 5, a common vein runs through them |
| namely, the geographically contiguous units | | | | all. That the Muslims, the children of Allah |
| are demarcated into regions which should be | | | | the Merciful, and all members of the ummah |
| so constituted, with such territorial | | | | are a distinct people and therefore not |
| readjustments as may be necessary, that the | | | | prepared to integrate themselves with the |
| areas in which the Muslims are numerically in | | | | rest of the nation. Do not think that they |
| a majority as in the North Western and | | | | are just another minority like Christians or |
| Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to | | | | Parsees who happily coexist with all their |
| constitute 'independent states', in which the | | | | countrymen.The Christians do not have a |
| constituent units shall be autonomous and | | | | separate political party in India. They have |
| sovereign.It has always been taken for | | | | never considered themselves to be a separate |
| granted mistakenly that the Musalmaans are a | | | | nation. They do not claim that religion is |
| minority. The Musalmaans are not a minority. | | | | above the nation. They do not claim that |
| The Musalmaans are a nation by any | | | | their God, the father of Lord Jesus, is the |
| definition. What the military Government of | | | | only god.For the Muslims, there is no God |
| India for 150 years has failed to achieve | | | | other than Allah. Those who do not accept |
| cannot be realized by the imposition of | | | | Allah are kafirs and who should be converted |
| Central Federal Government except by means of | | | | to Islam or exterminated. Jehad is the |
| armed force. The problem in India is not of | | | | instrument of such eradication. For a Muslim |
| an inter-communal character but manifestly of | | | | to flourish as a momin or a faithful, he |
| an international one and it must be treated | | | | needs to live in a darul Islam. If for any |
| as such. The Hindus and Muslims belong to two | | | | reason, he has no hope of converting the |
| different civilizations which are based | | | | country of his residence into a land of |
| mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. | | | | Islam, he should undertake a hijrat or |
| To yoke together two such nations under a | | | | emigration to another homeland. Those Muslims |
| single state, one as a numerical minority and | | | | who did not migrate to Pakistan cherish the |
| the other as a majority, must lead to growing | | | | hope of converting Hindustan into an |
| discontent and final destruction of any | | | | Islamistan. Those of them who do not cherish |
| fabric that may be so built up for the | | | | this hope, are not quite true to Allah and |
| government of such a state.History repeats | | | | should be treated as apostates. This is a |
| itself is an old adage. Another way of | | | | message of the Holy Quran. It is for you to |
| putting the same wisdom would be that history | | | | register the message. If you do not, you risk |
| is the obverse of vision. Yet a third | | | | the future of your civilisation. |