Question 8: How successful was the Pakistan Movement in the years 1927 to 1939?              

1. Describe Simon Commission of 1927? [4]

Simon commission was made in 1927. It was headed by John Simon. It was formed to consider the situation in India. All members were British and none of them was Indian. This thing angered many Indians who went against it. In fact in 1919 the Government of India act stated that a commission would be formed after 10 years to look for the situation India. It was considered as an insult to India and many parties and Indian rose against it.

2. Describe the Nehru Report of 1928? [4]

Nehru report was made in 1928. It was made by all parties’ conference in opposition for the Simon Commission. It was supported by about all Non-Muslims. It stated that India to be a federation. It said that protection of minorities should be done. It also stated immediate dominion status for India vote right for all adult male and female. British were given one year to accept the recommendation for the report or non cooperation was to be started.

the nehru report was drafted by the nehru commitee headed by motilal nehru.it recommended a federal form of government for india with bicameral set up (2chamber parliament).rights of vote for all.constitutional protection of minoritiesand fundamental rights .it also demanded dominion status for india,with the central government responsible for peace and order.muslim league rejected it.

3. Why did Jinnah produce his 14 points of 1929? [7]

·        Jinnah decided to issue 14 points in response to Nehru Report (1928) which was a scheme of constitution for India. It included several points which were against Muslim interests. The Nehru Report suggested joint electorate (in place of separate electorate for Muslims), unitary form of government (in place of federal form of government) and Hindi as national language for India. These points were clearly against Muslim interests and were not liked by the Muslims.

·        Jinnah suggested three amendments to the Nehru Report but these were rejected by the Congress. It clearly showed that the Congress was not sincere with the Muslims.

·        At the annual meeting of Muslim League in March 1929 at Delhi. Jinnah gave his points in order to safeguard and protect the rights and interests of the Muslims. The 14 Points were the first ever demand of the Muslim League put to the British. These demands covered all aspects of Muslim interests at the time.

Jinnah 14 Points [14]

1. Any future constitution should be federal, power resting with the provinces.

2. All Provinces should have the same amount of autonomy.

3. All legislatures and local bodies should be constituted with adequate representation of minorities.

4. Muslims should have one-third of the seats in the Central Assembly.

5. Election should be by separate electorates.

6. Any territorial changes should be affect the Muslim majority in Bengal, the Punjab and the NWFP.

7. Full liberty of belief and worship shall be granted to all communities.

8. No Bill shall be passed in any elected body if ¾ of any community in that body opposed it.

9. Sindh shall be separated from Bombay.

10. There should be reforms in the NWFP and Baluchistan to put them on the same footing as other provinces.

11. Muslims should have an adequate share in the services of the state.

12. Muslim culture, education, language, religion and charities should be protected by the constitution.

13. All cabinets (at central or local level) should have at least 1/3 Muslim representation.

14. The Federation of India must not change laws without the consent of the provinces.

 4. How successful were the three Round Table Conference of 1930-1932? [14]

Round Table Conferences were successful only to some extent. The

Round Table Conferences were held in London in 1930, 1931 and 1932. But neither Gandhi nor Jinnah attended all of them.

The Round Table Conferences were held to consider the ‘Simon Commission Report’ and to suggest reforms to solve the constitutional problem of India. On the whole the Conferences did not achieve much and the constitutional problem was not resolved.

The First Round Table Conference (1930) was successful in the sense that it was agreed that Federal System of government would be adopted for India and responsible representative government would be set up in provinces. This was a great achievement because the Congress had suggested ’Unitary Form’ of government in provinces was a good step forward for self-rule. But Congress did not attend this conference because congress leaders were in jail on account of non-cooperation movement. 

Secondly, the princely states also agreed to join the federation. Also several committees were formed to discuss different issues.

The Second Round Table Conference (1931) was attended by the Congress with high hopes of progress. Mr. Gandhi represented the Congress but he declared that the Congress was the only political party which could speak for all the Indian people. He also declared that there was no minority problem in India. Muslims and other minority leaders did not agree with Mr. Gandhi. Therefore on account of Mr. Gandhi stubborn and unfair attitude the conference could not achieve much but its success was that it was declared that Orissa, NWFP and Sind (after separation from Bombay) would be given full provincial status. The minorities issue remained unresolved.  

The Third Round Table Conference was held in November 1932. It was again not attended by Congress. Mr. Jinnah also did not attend. The Conference proved to be a mere formality. It only finalized the reports and broke up without achieving anything of substance.

In the light of above facts, it can be said that although the Round Table Conference did not achieve much on the whole, yet the first conference of 1930 was more successful than the other two.       

5. Describe the Communal Award of 1932? [4]

On August 1932 the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced that British government would give position to the minorities. The Muslim were given weight age in Hindu dominated provinces, but Muslims majority in Punjab and Bengal was reduced.  

6. How important was the Government of India Act 1935? [14 Marks]

Despite the failure of the Round Table Conferences, in March 1933 the British government gave the Joint Select Committee the task of formulating the new Act for India. The Committee comprised of 16 members each from the House of Commons and House of Lords, 20 representatives from British India and seven from the princely states. Lord Linlithgow was appointed as the president of the Committee. After a year and a half of deliberations, the Committee finally came out with a draft Bill on December 1934. The Bill was discussed in the House of Commons for 43 days and in the House of Lords for 13 days and finally, after being signed by the King, was enforced as the Government of India Act, 1935, in August 1935.

The main features of the Act of 1935 were:

1. A federation of India was promised for, comprising both provinces and states. The provisions of the Act establishing the federal central government were not to go into operation until a specified number of rulers of states had signed Instruments of Accession. Since, this did not happen, the central government continued to function in accordance with the 1919 Act and only the part of the 1935 Act dealing with the provincial governments went into operation.

2. The Governor General remained the head of the central administration and enjoyed wide powers concerning administration, legislation and finance.

3. No finance bill could be placed in the Central Legislature without the consent of the Governor General.

4. The Federal Legislature was to consist of two houses, the Council of State (Upper House) and the Federal Assembly (Lower House).

5. The Council of State was to consist of 260 members, out of whom 156 were to be elected from the British India and 104 to be nominated by the rulers of princely states.

6. The Federal Assembly was to consist of 375 members; out of which 250 were to be elected by the Legislative Assemblies of the British Indian provinces while 125 were to be nominated by the rulers of princely states.

7. The Central Legislature had the right to pass any bill, but the bill required the approval of the Governor General before it became Law. On the other hand Governor General had the power to frame ordinances.

8. The Indian Council was abolished. In its place, few advisers were nominated to help the Secretary of State for India.

9. The Secretary of State was not expected to interfere in matters that the Governor dealt with, with the help of Indian Ministers.

10. The provinces were given autonomy with respect to subjects delegated to them.

11. Diarchy, which had been established in the provinces by the Act of 1919, was to be established at the Center. However it came to an end in the provinces.

12. Two new provinces Sindh and Orissa were created.

13. Reforms were introduced in N. W. F. P. as were in the other provinces.

14. Separate electorates were continued as before.

15. One-third Muslim representation in the Central Legislature was guaranteed.

16. Autonomous provincial governments in 11 provinces, under ministries responsible to legislatures, would be setup.

17. Burma and Aden were separated from India.

18. The Federal Court was established in the Center.

19. The Reserve Bank of India was established.

Both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League opposed the Act, but participated in the provincial elections of winter 1936-37, conducted under stipulations of the Act. At the time of independence, the two dominions of India and Pakistan accepted the Act of 1935, with few amendments, as their provisional constitution.

7. Why was Congress Rule of 1937-1939 unpopular with many Muslims?

Congress Ministries were formed in 8 out of 11 provinces of India in 1937 and they worked under the instructions of the Congress High Command, which was controlled by Mr. Gandhi and some other leaders. The Congress Rule was hated because it adopted policies which harmed and hurt the Muslims in many ways. Some of the steps taken by Congress Ministries were:

1. Song of Bande Matram which clearly hurt Muslim feelings, adopted as National Anthem.

2. Wardha Scheme was educational schemes which encouraged Hindu religion and culture. Teaching was to be in Hindi with no religious education which meant that Muslim students were at a disadvantage.

3. Muslim children were required to show reverence for Gandhi’s portrait which was hung up in schools.

4. Ban on cow slaughter was enforced.

5. Frequent occurrences of Hindu-Muslim riots in which always the Muslims were made victims.

The Congress Rule was hated on account of these anti-Muslim policies and the Muslims heaved a sigh of relief. When the Congress Ministries adopted in November 1939.

Key Question 1: How successful were the religious thinkers in spreading Islam in the sub-continent during 18^th and 19^th?

Shah Wail Ullah (1703-1762)

Introduction

Shah Wali Ullah was born on 21 February 1703 during the reign of Aurangzeb his real name was Qutub-ud-din but became famous as Shah Wali-Ullah his father was Shah Abdul Rahim who founded Madrassa Rahimiya in Delhi his father died in 1718.In 1724 Shah Wali Ullah went to Arabia to perform Hajj. He studied under famous scholar Sheikh Abu Tahir bin Ibrahim and returned to Delhi in 1732.

Beliefs

He belief that the Muslims were facing decline not because of weak leadership but because of Muslim community itself. He believed that many Muslims did not have complete knowledge of Quranic teachings. A major problem was that Muslims were divided into Shias and Sunnis and fought with themselves. It was necessary to follow Islamic teachings into every aspect of life.

Work

He worked hard to ensure that he was a role model for every Muslim. He translated Quran into Persian because many people were unfamiliar with Arabic. Later his sons, Shah Abdul Qader and Shah Rafi, translated Quran into Urdu so more and more people could gain Islamic knowledge. He wrote fifty one books in Persian and Arabic. Amongst the most famous were Hujjatullah-ul-Baligha and Izalat-Akhfa. He also wrote an account of the first four caliphs of Islam in a way that was acceptable to both Shias and Sunnis. In economics he emphasised the need for social justice and for peasants and craftsmen to be truly valued for their contribution to the economy. His most important contributions to the Muslim community was his organization of opposition to the Marathas, who were threatening to over-run the Mughal Empire from the south. It was to call together the divinities among Muslims and unite them for Jihad. He wrote a letter to Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali and joined local forces with local Muslim leaders and defeated the Marathas in the Battle of Panipat in 1761. However, despite encouragement from Shah Wali Ullah, the Muslim leaders did not unite to take advantage of the defeat of the Marathas. Perhaps if they had done so, the Muslims would not have soon found themselves under Non-Muslim rule.

Importance

Shah Wali Ullah was one of the first thinkers to state that the decline of Mughal Empire and the vulnerable position of the Muslims were due to a neglect of the principles of Islam. He showed how this regeneration might take place. The Madrassa continued to play a vital role in teaching Islamic principles and researching Islamic thought. He believed that Muslims could prosper if they followed proper Islamic customs and did not indulge in social evils. His writing gave large number of Muslims a chance to study their religion and understand its teachings. He gave Muslims inspiration to lead a pure simple Life. He showed that Muslims had to concentrate more on basic principle rather than finding the difference which would lead them in the conflict among them. He tried to oppose Maratha and unite the Muslim under a common enemy. Many future leaders were inspired by his teachings. And fight for the good of Muslim community.

Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barailvi (1786-1831)

Introduction

Syed Ahmad was born in a small town of Rai Bareli near Lucknow. He moved in Delhi in 1806 and Studied in Madrassa Rahimya for two years. In 1810 in joined a Pathan Military Leader and learned to use European weaponry. In 1817 He returned to Delhi trying to make Islam to its original purity.

Beliefs

He believed that Muslims could achieve their freedom by having arm struggle against the British and Sikhs. He believed that the evil in the Islamic Society had to be cured. He called for Jihad Movement to over throw the non-Muslim force which was oppressing them. Only then Islam could be rescued from the evil customs of other societies.

Work

In 1821 He went for Hajj and returned from Arabia in 1823 ready for action. At this time Punjab and NWFP was in the control of Sikh and Muslims were unable to live according to their faith. He traveled many hundred miles to raise a mujahideen force. In 1826 Syed Ahmad established his headquarters near Peshawar and sent a messenger asking Ranjit Singh the ruler to allow muslims follow their religion but the request was turn down so he had no choice but to attack at Okara on 21 December 1826 and after that Hazarothe and defeat the Sikhs. He was successful military leader and the mujahideen force soon reached 80,000 men, but there was a major problem as the force had people from different area they quarreled on how the camping should run. Sikhs tried to exploit the army by calling it un-Islamic but it was consider jihad by Muslim leaders. When Syed Ahmad was about to attack the fort of Attock he encountered the army of Sikh of 35000 men’s. What he did not know was that Yar Muhammad Khan a Pathan chief was bribed by the Sikh and even his servant tried to poison him. Then Yar Muhammad deserted him on the battle field along his men and thus this creates chaos and lead to defeat. Syed Ahmad had no choice but to move his headquarters to safety of Panjtar near Kashmir but was again betrayed when a person in his army told the British a secret way to attack them. In battle of Balakot 1831 a surprise attack was lead by Sikh and Six hundred Muslims were killed along with Syed Ahmed.

Importance

The Defeat of the mujahideen in the Battle of Balakot was a serious setback for the Jihad movement still it survived.  The movement continued on the hills of NWFP until 1863 when the British sent large force to deal with it still it survived through determination of its followers. The work of Syed Ahmad was important because it was the first arm struggle of a movement to free Muslims from non-Muslim rule. It was not a movement for a leader but it was to achieve religious freedom. Jihad of Syed Ahmad inspired many Muslims. It is the fore-runner of Pakistan movement as the aim of this movement was to safe-guard Muslim interest and achieves a homeland where they can practice their Religion, Culture and Freedoms.

Haji Shariat Ullah (1781-1840)

Introduction

He was born in 1781 in Faridpur district in east Bengal. His family was poor. In 1799 He went to Arabia on pilgrimage and stayed there for nineteen years . He was greatly influenced by the teaching of Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab.

Beliefs

He believed that the miserable condition of the Muslims in India led to the country being Dar-Ul-Harb (Country under Foreign Rule). He told that Friday prayer and Eid prayer cannot be offered here. He also believed that Muslim community had moved away from Islamic practice. He wanted them to return to what he thought was the proper observation of Islamic duties called Faraizi. This was why he started his movement was called Faraizi Movement. The Faraizi Movement supported the idea of Jihad against the non-Muslims who were undermining the true principles of Islam.

Work

He started Faraizi movement to restore the Pride of the Muslims and remove what he thought were the Hindu practices. Emphasis was placed on praying for past sins and promising to lead a righteous life in the future which had crept into their worship. The success of this movement caused British and Hindu Landlord’s and they did not want Haji Shariat Ullah to create difficulty for them by uniting a desire to improve their lives and purify their religion so they drove Haji out of the reign to Nawabganj in Dhaka where he died in 1840. His work however was carried by his son Mohsin-ud-Din who continued to improve the position of Muslim in East Bengal and introduced important economic measures. He divides East Bengal into circle under control of each Khalifa to carry out religious activities. He helped the peasants to oppose land taxes and he threatened to declare Jihad against the British so he was captured and put in prison where he died in 1860.

Importance

Work of Haji Shariat Ullah was important to Faraizi Movement because it gave encouragement to Muslims at a time when they demoralised by oppression suffered from Hindus and British. It also brought about a spiritual revival which led to a revival in Islamic religion in East Bengal. Hindu influences were removed from Islamic practices. It might be said that some seeds for the Pakistan Movement were sown by the Faraizi Movement.

Some Important Questions Which Repeats In Exams

Comparisons of Religious Thinkers (14 Marks)

Islam was widely spread in subcontinent by Shah Wali Ullah Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi and Haji Shariat Ullah.

·        Shah Wali Ullah was a religious scholar. He taught Islamic teachings in the Madrassa Rahimya. This produced a number of scholars in the sub-continent and therefore increased spread of Islam. Shah Wali Ullah also translated the Quran in Persian. Arabic was not very much understood in the sub continent so translating Quran revived Quranic teachings in the subcontinent because Muslims and also other people could understand Quranic teachings. Shah Wali Ullah also wrote to all Muslim leaders in the subcontinent to unite and defeat the Marathas it was partly due to his persuade that Ahmed Durrani came to subcontinent and defeated the Marathas. Thus by writing letters he decreased the non Muslim influence of Marathas and united Muslim leaders which revived Islam in subcontinent. Shah Wali Ullah wrote several books about 51. These books were extremely popular. These not only converted many people to Islam and increase understanding of religion for Muslims of Islam but also united the different Muslim sectarian such as the Shias and Sunnis.

·        Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi also played part in reviving Islam. He started the Jihad Movement. The Jihad Movement was a Movement started by Muslims to defeat the non Muslim oppressors. The Movement united all the different Muslim against one common enemy. This showed the power of the Muslims and united the Muslim community which spread Islam.

·        Haji Shariat Ullah started the Faraizi Movement. It indicated tht Muslims should return to their religious teaching and perform their religious obligations. This particularly became popular in Bengal and Muslims were revived back to their religious teachings. His movement also united the Muslims of Bengal.

However there were failures

·        Shah Wali Ullah was not able to bring Muslim power back to subcontinent and Muslims were still being oppressed by Marathas who prevented them from obeying there religions law.

·        Syed Ahmed eventually failed to defeat the British and the oppressing Sikhs and Muslims once again returned to their torturing lives.

·        Haji Shariat Ullah could only bring rejuvenation in Bengal and so could not reach the entire subcontinent. The failure of the Jihad Movements discouraged Muslims to rise up against the enemy which weakened Islam.

Conclusion

Although every religious thinker was quite successful in spreading the message amongst the people, Shah Wali Ullah through writings, Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi through his Jihad Movement and Haji Shariat Ullah through his Faraizi movement, yet in my opionion Shah Wali Ullah was most successful as his work was ever lasting and sowed a seed for the later "Pakistan Movement".

Comparisons of Works (14 Marks)

·        There were many Muslims reformers at that time. SWU was one of them. He believed that the Muslims were not able to understand Islam because they weren’t able to understand the Holy Quran because it was in Arabic. He translated Holy Quran from Arabic to Persian. Later it was translated to Urdu by his sons. He wrote 51 books .They include Hujjatullah-ul Baligha and Izalat al Akhfa. He also wrote an account on the four Caliphs of Islam to decrease differences between Sunnis and Shias.(he also fought against the Marathas)

·        Another reformer was SASB. He was a man of action. He was a great Muslim warrior. He gathered an army of mujahideen to fight against the Sikhs and Ranjit Singhs forces. He did Jihad against the Ranjit Singh army at many times. Although many people left him he still continued the fight against the Sikhs. He fought the Battle of Balakot in 1831. It was the first example of a movement formed to free Muslims from non Muslims leaders. It was a uniting force for the Muslims and inspiration for future Muslims.

·        Another reformer was HSU. He believed that the country was now Dar-Ul Harb where non Muslims ruled. He also believed that the Muslims had moved away from true Islamic practice so he started a movement called the Faraizi Movement. It supported the idea of Jihad Movement. The Faraizi Movement was started to restore the pride of Muslims and remove non Muslim practices in Islam. This Movement encouraged the Muslims. It brought a spiritual revival. It also had much economic impact. The Bengal peasants became united in opposition to the British and became aware of their rights and unity became to grow between them and they realised their rights that should have been given.

Conclusion

I think SWU was the most important reformer because he was one of the first persons to realise the main thing of Muslims problems. He did the major thing of translating Holy Quran to Persian so that more people could understand it.