Pakistan Movement of Freedom from 1857 to 1947
The History of Pakistan Freedom Movement is a long-term struggle from 1857 to 1947. The War of Independence 1857 was also an important event in history. The Muslims and Hindus of the Subcontinent revolted against British occupation.
 |
| War of Independence 1857 |
The 1857 War of Independence had many causes divided into political, religious, social and economic. The East India Company enslaved the people of the Subcontinent with limited Freedom. The policy of annexation discrimination against Indians. Although the War of Independence failed due to a lack of a united military and leadership. The results of the War showed a great effect. The East India Company dissolved and reorganized the administrative and financial system. Aims and objectives of the establishment of Pakistan
The pre-partition history of Pakistan. It is important for the creation of Pakistan in the Subcontinent. There are many events in the history. A separate country for Muslims to live according to the religious teachings of Islam and live their life according to the principles of Islam. The Pakistan movement gains power slowly and gradually. It was a national and political movement in the half of the 20th century for the creation of Pakistan in the Subcontinent. The Pakistan Resolution 1940 is a milestone in the freedom struggle.
 |
| Pakistan Movement from 1857 to 1947 |
Hindu Muslim Nationalism
Nationalism has been one of the most influential of various doctrinal constellations that vied for man's loyalties since the erosion of traditional religion despite protean local variations. It has reappeared as a consistent set of demands beliefs and social arrangements. Nationalism is a distinct ideological variety of social and political movements. Nationalism represents a man's state of mind or national consciousness of recent origin among the majority of people. In short, the core of nationalist doctrine is as under:
- That humanity is naturally divided into nations.
- Each nation has its own peculiar character
- That the source of all political power is the nation collectively.
- For freedom and self-realization, man must identify himself with a nation.
- The nations can be fulfilled only in their states.
- That loyalty to the nation-state overrides other loyalties.
- The primary condition of global freedom and harmony is the strengthening of nation and state.
Nationality
If nationalism is the dynamic expression of the desire to live together as a free people in the future. Nationality is a prior condition for such desire. It is a non-political concept and can exist even under foreign domination. It is a psychological quality conveying an ethical and cultural conception as well. According to Lord Bryce, " The sentiment of nationality is that feeling or group of feelings which makes an aggregate of men conscious of ties not being wholly either political or religious which unites then is a community which is either actually or potentially a nation.
A.E Zimmern observed " Nationality like religion is subjective psychological a condition of mind a spiritual possession a way of feeling thinking and living.
J.A. Rose defined nationality as " a union of hearts once made never unmade."
Nation
The word nation is derived from the Latin word " nation which means birth or race. In the 17th century, the word nation was used to describe the French Revolution. The term nation was used in the sense of patriotism. Generally speaking, a nation is a single people traditionally fixed in a well-defined territory, speaking the same language and culture.
Rupert Emerson defined it as a " terminal community". Bertrand Russell defined a nation as " constitutes of a nation is a sentiment and instinct. A sentiment of similarity and an instinct of belonging to the same group".
A nation stands for the unity of the people organized in one State and action spontaneously as a unity. Common capital of thoughts and feelings acquired and transmitted in the course of common will to live together in the future. Freely and independently increasing the common capital of thoughts and feelings.
Earnest Barker Observed that " The basic form of human community which we may call the community par excellence is the nation. All purposes body of persons concerning a territorial area and containing within itself of particular purpose societies."
The Islamic concept of Nationalism
Modern Western political concepts of nationalism, nationality, and nation lay stress on race, language, geography, culture, and common historical bonds in the past. Islam repudiates all of them and seeks to make a nation based on spiritual and moral relationships so that people may help each other to all possible extents. Islam encourages and provides more opportunities for an independent relationship among men so that culture may prosper. Islam stands to provide the maximum possible chances for the fullest development of man's personality, belonging to any caste, race, and country. Islam maintains that human rights are based upon morality rather than political, military, or any other kind of might.
Two Nation Theory
The Two Nation Theory of both Allama Iqbal and Quid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah were right in claiming that Muslims of India formed a separate nation based on Muslim culture.
 |
| Two Nation Theory |
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's articulation of Two Nation Theory
The third and potentially more important element of Sir Syed's perspective package related to the pattern of the Hindu-Muslim relationships at the national level. Emerging from as liberal and enlightened a person as Sir Syed. His advice seemed out of tune with the times but was to prove quite prophetic and thus established him retrospectively as a man of great vision and courage of conviction. Before discussing this advice.
 |
| Sir Syed Ahmed Khan |
We may briefly refer to some important developments which began to unfold around that period and greatly influenced Sir Syed's thinking. Sir Syed had been a witness to the economic decline of Muslims and the simultaneous improvement in the economic fortunes of the majority community. Given the predilections of the ruling power. He could easily visualize an aggravation of the clash of economic interests of the two communities. At the same time, some extremist elements in the majority community started working for the revival of militant Hinduism.
 |
| Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Educational Reforms |
On the occasion of his visit to Punjab, a section of this group advised Muslims to give up their separate identity and merge with the other communities to regain India's past glory. It foreshadowed the movement which was later led by men like B.D. Tilak and B.C. Chatterjee inculcated religious fervour among Hindus through inflammatory writings and celebration of deities like Kali Devi which symbolized fear and destruction. The Hindu proselytizing of Muslims which had started earlier especially in Bengal under the influence of Chaitanya was now being vigorously pursued throughout the country by another movement called Arya Samaj, Swami Dayanand and Swami Vivekananda were vigorously asserting the superiority of Vedic Hinduism over the Western philosophy and by implication the comparison was extended to other religion-cultural ideologies as well. A separate movement for banning cow slaughter was also underway through beef was the main component of the diet of poor Muslims. Beef meat was cheaper than mutton due to the former's abundant supply and supposedly lower nutritional value.
Urdu and Hindi controversy
The majority community launched a widespread campaign for the replacement of Urdu with the Hindi language, for official work even in the northwestern centres of Muslim learning and culture although Hindi had already been granted this status in the Hindu majority areas of Bihar, Bengal, and Orissa in 1867.
 |
| Urdu Hindi controversy |
The communal antagonism reached such a point that a French orientalist Garcin de Tassay was led to make the following observation " The Hindus are opposed to everything which reminds them of Muslim rule".
The sharp intellect of Sir Syed easily read the writing on the wall and he felt increasingly disturbed. It was not feasible at that stage to lay down detaining the future strategy of his community to deal with this issue but he felt duty bound to warn them of the dangers threatening their survival as a distinct entity in future India.
English was introduced as an institutional Language in India
Sir Syed had correctly perceived that ultimately the English would introduce representative institutions of government in India. He had been preaching Hindu-Muslim unity since 1867 but in 1884 Ripon's reforms initiated the long-drawn struggle for power between the two large Indian communities. Sir Syed apprehended that in the absence of adequate safeguards for Muslims who formed only one-fifth of the population. Their fate in such a scheme of things would be in jeopardy due to their economic backwardness, widespread illiteracy, and lack of discipline and organization among them. It will be a game of dice in which one man has four dice and the other only one. He warned then in December 1872 to 1885 delegates of whom Muslims were the only two who met in Bombay under the auspices of a retired British Civil Servant A.O. Hume and set up the Indian Nation Congress. Sir Syed did not oppose it but in 1887 a Muslim Badruddin Tayyabi was chosen as the president of the Congress. This made Sir Syed apprehensive because he felt that the Muslims were not prepared to partake in the political struggle on an equal footing with Hindus. He visualized that One common national organization would not be helpful in protecting Muslims' interests and hence in reply to an invitation from Mr. Tayyabi to join this body, he retorted. I do not understand what the word National Congress means. It is supposed that the different castes and creeds living in India belong to one nation and their aims and aspirations are one and the same.
Indian National Congress represented only Hindus
Sir Syed therefore at that stage deemed it advisable for Muslims not to join the Congress. He said " What happened in the Mutiny war 1857.
 |
| Indian National Congress |
The Hindus took a bath in the Ganges and went Scot free but Muslims and their families were ruined. He said I object to every congress in any shape or form whatever which regards India as one nation. I am convinced that both these nations will not join wholeheartedly in anything. At present, there is no open hostility between the two communities but on account of the so-called educated people. It will increase in the future he who lives will see. He saw his apprehensions coming true when communal riots broke out in Bombay in 1893 on the issues of cow slaughter and the playing of music by Hindus outside a mosque at prayer times. In fact, Hunter says that a series of "Fanatical riots" broke out in many of the Provinces and States " From Burma to the North West and Bombay." No Muslim has Joined the Congress except one or two. In fact many leading Muslim institutions, personalities, journals, papers, etc. Joined hands in their indignation against the Indian National Congress. The Educational conference founded by Sir Syed continued to play the leading role in this campaign after his death.
Sir Syed appears to have anticipated separate communal electorates in representative institutions when in 1883. He opposed the Introduction of the principle of election, pure and simple in a country like India where caste distinctions still flourish, where there is no fusion of the various races, and where religious distinctions are still violent. The views he was called an advocate of the two nations theory by K.M Panniker.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Struggle for Muslims always remember
Subsequently, Sir Syed's advice to Muslims to stay away from the Indian National Congress was generally ignored by them within five years after his death and upheaval shook the Sub-continent. This made the people recall his apprehensions about the communal problems in the subcontinent. Wolpert also regards his presentation of the Muslim case as the earliest modern interpretation of the two-nation theory.
Independence of Pakistan on 14th August 1947
Pakistan achieved independence on 14th August 1947 one day before Indian Independence.
