“We wish to live in peace and
harmony with our neighbours as a free and independent people.”
–Muhammad A. Jinnah
On 23rd March 1940, members of the All-India Muslim League (AIML) proposed the formation of ‘independent states’ that would later become Pakistan and India, and is recognized as the Lahore Resolution. The event is viewed as cardinal to the eventual Indo-Pak Partition in 1947, and is commemorated in Pakistan as Pakistan Day, or Republic Day.
The AIML met in March 1940 in a 3-day general session, where the resolution was put forth by the Muslim League Working Committee, and presented by A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq. The resolution called for independent states “in which the constituent units should be autonomous and sovereign”, and thus laid the groundwork for the formation of a Muslim-majority federation of Pakistan.
The Lahore Resolution marked a momentous shift in Sub-continental politics, with Muslim leaders, including the previously pro-unity Muhammad Ali Jinnah, espousing the idea of a separate Muslim homeland in accordance with the Two-Nation theory. The event marks the first official demand for a separate nation, and is seen as beginning to the formation of Pakistan.
The Minar-e-Pakistan was constructed in Iqbal Park as a national monument to commemorate the venue of the historic resolution, while the day is observed annually in Pakistan as a national public holiday rife with patriotic celebrations, including military parades.