A new government has been formed in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on Monday. This marks Shehbaz Sharif's second term as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Upon the formation of a new government, neighboring Pakistan has also begun efforts to mend relations with India. It is reported that Pakistan will celebrate its 'National Day' in New Delhi this year. On this day, events are scheduled at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi.
For the first time in four years, Pakistan will be celebrating its National Day in Delhi. After the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan had recalled its ambassador.
Pakistan's National Day falls on March 23. It's the same date when the proposal for an independent Pakistan was laid out before independence in Lahore.
What happened on March 23?
The date of March 23 holds great significance in the history of Pakistan. It's the day in 1940 when the Muslim League presented a proposal for a separate nation for Muslims.
During March 22-24, 1940, the Muslim League held its session in Lahore. It was at this session that they proposed the establishment of a sovereign, autonomous Muslim state. The proposal mentioned no specific name for the country, but it later came to be known as 'Pakistan Resolution' after the nation was formed.
Though the resolution didn't directly mention a separate country or Pakistan, it called for autonomy for Muslim-majority areas. It proposed, "Geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions, which should be constituted with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary."
Not only that, but on March 23, 1956, Pakistan's constitution was also enacted. On this day, the country declared itself an Islamic republic.
Source: aajtak
Jinnah's Standpoint?
In his book 'Jinnah: India-Partition Independence,' Jaswant Singh writes that at the Lahore session, Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated that the broad and sharp differences between Hindus and Muslims could lead to serious risks if they lived under a central government.
According to the book, Jinnah argued, 'Hindus and Muslims belong to different religions, philosophies, social customs, and literature. They neither intermarry nor dine together. They relate to opposing civilizations with conflicting ideologies and beliefs.'
Jinnah claimed, 'Their heroes are different, often one's hero being the other's enemy. Both have disparate victories and defeats. Yoking two nations, one a minority and the other a majority, into the yoke of a single state will boost discontent and the constructed governance of such a state is bound to be destructive.'
What became of the proposal?
Jaswant Singh provides detailed insights into the Lahore Resolution in his book. He mentions the resolution clearly stated that Muslims would not adhere to any constitutional scheme until geographical contingents were regrouped into regions.
The proposal recommended the creation of a Muslim nation, incorporating areas from the northwest and northeast, including Punjab, NWFP, Sindh, Baluchistan and parts of Bengal and Assam.
On March 24, 1940, the proposal was passed, and by 1941 it was integrated into the constitution of the Muslim League. Based on this resolution, in 1946, the Muslim League decided to demand only a single country for Muslims instead of two.
