Jinnah, Iqbal and Ch.
Rehmat Ali
Q The 14 Points were Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s greatest achievement/ contribution to
the Pakistan Movement in the years 1929 to 1947.’ Do you agree? Explain your
answer.
• Jinnah’s 14 Points of 1929 set out the demands of future negotiations with Congress
and/or the British Government. These demands were also to form the basis of Muslim
League’s demand for a separate Muslim homeland. It argued that Hindus and Muslims were
two separate nations and won much British approval for such a view.
• However, he also achieved much more. After the 1937 elections, Jinnah set out to
reform the Muslim League at grass root level and, as a result, membership had grown
significantly by mid-1938. Without this growth, the League would have struggled to be
recognised by the British as a powerful player in Indian politics, and hence the fortunes of
the Pakistan Movement would have possibly failed to bear fruit when it did.
• Jinnah used the Lahore Conference in 1940 to ensure that the Muslim League would
only accept a solution to the sub-continent which ensured partition. This was called the
Pakistan Resolution.
• He also opposed the proposals of the Cripps Mission 1942 that saw Dominion status
for the sub-continent. In doing so he helped ensure the British realised the need to protect
Muslim interests.
• Although the Gandhi-Jinnah Talks of 1944 broke up without agreement, Congress
was left in no doubt that the League was an important organisation that spoke with authority
on behalf of many subContinent Muslims.
• Due to continued pressure from the League and Jinnah, the 3 June Plan of 1947
announced that separate states would be set up – India and Pakistan.
Ch. Rehmat Ali
Q. Why was Chaudry Rehmat Ali important for the Pakistan Movement?
Ans. Chaudri Rehmat Ali was the one who gave a more concrete form to the idea of a
separate homeland presented by Allama Iqbal. He gave the separate country not only a
name but also further developed Allama Iqbal’s ideas. The fact that he gave a name to the
future homeland of the Muslims made him a very important person.
The Scheme of Pakistan which he presented was not quickly embraced by the Muslim
leaders who at first showed no interest in the idea of a separate homeland. Chaudri Rehmat
Ali was not dismayed by the lack of support and continued to write the pamphlet, ‘Now Or
Never’ to win the support he needed. The fact that he did not give up the idea of Pakistan
and continued to struggle made him an important figure.
Efforts of Chaudri Rehmat Ali bore fruits when his ideas were adopted in the ‘Pakistan
Resolution’. He was given the credit of giving the Muslim League a new direction and a goal
to work towards.
(Q) Was the work of Allama Iqbal more important to the Pakistan Movement than that
of Rehmat Ali? Explain your answer. [14]
Was the work of Allama Iqbal more important to the Pakistan Movement than the other
leaders of his time? Explain your answer. [14]
AI
He was the first important Muslim leader to advocate the partition of India and the creation of
a separate Muslim state. As a result of his Allahabad address in 1930 when he put forward
this view, separatism was seriously considered by many Muslims during the 1930s. He was
also opposed to the British control of India – conquest of others was wrong and went against
the Muslim faith. This strengthened his view that Muslims should have a separate homeland,
independent of the British. He persuaded many Muslims that the Muslim League had to build
an effective mass political party to challenge the domination of the Congress. This argument
was adopted by Jinnah who went on to lead the Muslim League as a highly effective political
party. His poetry awakened a sense of nationhood among Muslims and he urged them to be
active in making progress. This progress needed to be along a distinctive Islamic path and
not capitalist in nature. Again this vision was adopted by Muslims as a view of the future.
RA
In 1933 he and some fellow students produced a pamphlet called ‘Now or Never’ in which he
argued in favour of partition and gave the name Pakistan to this new Muslim state that would
be formed. This became popular amongst most Muslims during the 1930s. His views were
different from Iqbal as he wanted a separate independent state whereas AI wanted just a
separate state. However, Ali did attract his critics, especially as he criticised many Muslim
leaders especially Jinnah and as such was viewed as a less important figure. He attacked
him over abandoning Muslim communities in such places as Delhi as well as accepting a
divided Bengal. He was also considered less important than Iqbal since Jinnah took up many
of his ideas whereas he refused to meet Ali, but nevertheless his views were adopted
eventually.
Jinnah
Jinnah’s 14 Points of 1929 set out the demands of future negotiations with Congress and/or
the British Government. These demands were also to form the basis of Muslim League’s
demand for a separate Muslim homeland. It argued that Hindus and Muslims were two
separate nations and won much British approval for such a view.
He also opposed the proposals of the Cripps Mission 1942 that saw Dominion status for the
sub-continent. In doing so he helped ensure the British realised the need to protect Muslim
interests.
• Although the Gandhi-Jinnah Talks of 1944 broke up without agreement, Congress
was left in no doubt that the League was an important organisation that spoke with authority
on behalf of many subContinent Muslims.
● His determination and guidance helped ML to win the 1945 Indian elections, which
made the ML an equal and effective force in Indian politics an the British and INC
could no longer ignored its demand for partition, which led to the creation of Pakistan
Q Who was Dr Allama Iqbal? [4]
A philosopher, politician and poet who practised law in England. Knighted by the British in
1922 in recognition of his poetry. He believed in the need for Muslims to have a separate
country and that Hindus and Muslims were 2 nations. In 1927 appointed General Secretary
of Muslim League, and made his Allahabad speech in 1930. Buried outside Badshahi
Mosque in Lahore.
Qs. Why was Iqbal asked to chair the meeting of Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930?
He was a prominent leader and poet who had a significant influence on Muslim identity and
political thought in India. His poetry was admired and his concepts of Ummah was idolised
by the Indian Muslims, which made him a suitable choice to lead the discussions on the
future political landscape for Muslims in India.
Iqbal was regarded as a key intellectual figure in the Muslim community, as he belonged to a
respectable and educated family, making him an influential leader capable of convincing
Muslims and guiding them in the right direction.
Iqbal had been a strong advocate for the idea of self-determination for Muslims in India. His
push for a separate nation was pivotal in shaping the political discourse, aligning with the
League's objectives during that period. This made him a natural choice to lead discussions
about Muslim political rights and future governance.
