We are a nation of crisis; from the day of independence, we have been facing crisis after crisis and yet, God-willing, we manage to overcome all of them.

We faced terrible times during the phase of terrorism and lost numerous lives, yet somehow, we managed to get out of it.

In the history of Pakistan, the Lahore Resolution (March 23) signifies the landmark decision for the establishment of a separate homeland for the Muslims of British India. The resolution, passed in the annual session of the All-India Muslim League held in Lahore from March 22-24 in 1940, is a landmark document of Pakistan’s history.

Initially, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was himself not in favour of making a separate nation, but after the general elections of 1937, when Congress won and formed government without any coalition, he changed his mind.That is when the Muslims of India saw the attitude of Hindus towards them, which was very negative. In schools, every student was supposed to salute the flag of Congress and they were forced to say “band-e-mataram”; this was implemented on Muslims students as well. There were a lot of similar factors as well which revealed the true nature of Congress and its tyrannical rule on the Muslim leadership.This made clear to Mr Jinnah that a separate nation was needed for Muslims. Thisbrought the two-nation theory in the mind of our Quaid.

The Lahore Resolution, popularly described as the Pakistan Resolution, marked the transformation of the Muslim minority in British India into a nation.

The resolution was written by Mohammad Zafarullah Khan and presented by AK Fazl-ul-Haq.At the time, the word “Pakistan” was not used for the nation, but a separate homeland was demanded nonetheless.

The reason why this day holds such significance among the days of the Pakistan Movement is that this was the first time when the Muslims of India actually demanded a separate country.

The Resolution addressed the Muslim question in the political and constitutional context of British India as well as the course of action to be adopted by the Muslim League to secure Muslim rights and interestswith reference to their identity.

Although the demand for a separate homeland was drafted on March 23, 1940, the idea that became the driving force behind it was addressed by Allama Iqbal in Allahabad (British India) 10 years ago on the afternoon of Monday, December 29,1930. In his address, he laid emphasis on the rights of Muslims and the need for a separate nation for them as they were different from Hindus on the basis of customs, religion, traditions, thoughts and mind. This was true especially for the ones residing in the northern west regions of the Subcontinent; which is now officially Pakistan and adjoining areas like Indian Occupied Kashmir and Punjab(India).

He explained how Islam was the determining factor in the life of Indian Muslims and unless Muslims were considered as a nation and their rights were protected, it was impossible to establish peace and order in the land because the difference in religion and culture of these two nations makes them unable to live together.

Iqbal also proposed that Punjab, North West Frontier province, Balochistan, and Sindh should be converted into one state. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Iqbal was the conceptual founder of Pakistan. He not only proposed the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of Sub-continent but also tried to wake up the whole Muslim Ummah by his visionary and philosophical ideas through his poetry.

I feel lucky to belong to his city, Sialkot and to have done my graduation from the very colleges while sitting in the same rooms where this great poet got his education. One of my class fellows used to live where Iqbal’s ancestral house was located near Mohalla Imam Sahib, I used to get a chance to see the house every now and then. I had the chance to hear about his quick and witty responses from his very old associates. Today, while writing on this subject of Lahore Resolution, I have been honoured to get some pieces of Iqbal’s writing which have never been made public, from his grandson Senator Waleed Iqbal.

Before Quaid-e-Azam changedhis mind over the idea of two nations, it was again Allama Iqbal who sent the following letter to him mentioning the ill intentions of Hindus against Muslims which was made clear by the outcome of the elections.

“The League will have to finally decide whether it will remain a body representing the upper classes of Indian Muslims or Muslim masses who have so far, with good reason, taken no interest in it. Personally, I believe that a political organisation which gives no promise of improving the lot of the average Muslim cannot attract our masses.”

-Allama Iqbal’s letter to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah dated 28th May 1937.

What follows is another quote from the same letter of Iqbal to Jinnah:

“For Islam the acceptance of social democracy in some suitable form and consistent with the legal principles of Islam is not a revolution but a return to the original purity of Islam. The modern problems therefore are far easier to solve for Muslims than for the Hindus. But as I have said above, in order to make it possible for Muslim India to solve problems, it is necessary to redistribute the country and to provide one or more Muslim states with absolute majorities. Don’t you think that the time for such a demand has already arrived?”

I am greatly thankful to Senator Waleed for giving me these original extracts which indicate that your grandfather; Allama Iqbal convinced our Quaidto work towards making the two-nation theory a reality. Ionce, went to pay my honour and regards in the house whereAllama Iqbal was born, which is only a 4-room house, a typical ‘Mohalla’ house where there are common walls and the walls have engraved alcoves for oil lights. Many of his belongings were intact in the house;I alsoissued instructionsto sanction an extra portion of the budget for its maintenanceto return it to its original shape.

His grandson has also provided me with one of Allama Iqbal’s old quotes in Urdu from when he had gone to pay regards to his ageing father in Sialkot, which is attached below:

My English professor, Dr Khair Ullah, who was very old too, once narrated a story about Iqbal’s quick wit and presence of mind saying,“One day Allama Iqbal arrived late in the class and the teacher asked him ‘Iqbal why are you late?’to which he responded,‘Sir Iqbal(izzat)hamesha late hi atahai’.”

The above history clearly tells us why Hindus are still after Pakistan as they have not accepted us as independent country while our leaders laid their lives to give us a separate homeland to protect us from our enemies.

These are the writer’s own views and do not necessarily represent the views of his party.