Pakistan Movement

The political campaign that sought a separate homeland for Muslims in British India and led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Two-Nation Theory: The political idea that Muslims and Hindus in British India formed distinct nations with separate political interests. It supplied a central argument for demanding a Muslim homeland.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah: A lawyer and politician who led the All-India Muslim League and became Pakistan’s founding governor-general. He negotiated and campaigned for the League’s demand for Pakistan.
1937 Indian provincial elections: Elections under the Government of India Act 1935 that produced provincial governments across British India. The League’s poor showing prompted it to expand its organization and claim to represent Muslims.
Partition of India: The 1947 division of British India into the independent states of India and Pakistan. It was the movement’s immediate territorial outcome.
Indian National Congress: A political organization that led the mass movement for Indian independence and generally opposed partition on religious lines. Its vision of a united independent India differed from the League’s demand for Pakistan.
All-India Muslim League: A political party founded in 1906 to represent Muslim interests in British India. It became the movement’s principal political organization.
Fatima Jinnah: A dental surgeon and political figure who supported her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Pakistan’s creation. Her public work helped mobilize women in support of the movement.
1945–46 Indian provincial elections: Elections in British India that gave the Muslim League an overwhelming victory in Muslim constituencies. The results strengthened the League’s claim to speak for Muslim voters.
Radcliffe Line: The boundary drawn in 1947 to divide Punjab and Bengal between India and Pakistan. Its hurried demarcation made the new state’s borders concrete and contested.
Hindu Mahasabha: A Hindu nationalist political organization founded in British India in 1915. Its religious-nationalist politics formed a distinct response to debates over community and nationhood.

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