Page 1 of 10
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 487
Role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the Partition of India
ABHISHEK MOGA
Assistant Professor, Dept. of History
S.D. (PG) College, Panipat
ABSTRACT
1947 The year when two nations got separated that were India and Pakistan. The Partition which
was designed to get political and social benefit which lead to the most horrifying Act ever seen
in the history of India which lead to various rapes and more than a million deaths in various parts
of the country. The main leaders involved in partition were Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah
People state various reasons of the separation but no one exactly knows the reason why the two
nations were separated. Some people consider that Nehru was greedy for power but some think
that it was Jinnah who wanted a separate nation. The paper mainly deals with the circumstance
that arose and leads to the partition and what was the role of Jinnah for the partition of India. It is
said that Pakistan is created because of dispute between Jinnah and Nehru. It is often said that
Jinnah played prominent role in the partition of India- Pakistan. In the research the researcher has
tried to trace out that whether Jinnah was the sole reason of partition or not. India faced lots of
problem but this was drastic decision taken by our leaders. It is difficult to say that we should be
happy that we got Independence or we should be sad that we got divided with our brothers on
this vary day with creation of Pakistan. All available evidences show that Jinnah alone was not
responsible for the creation of Pakistan. Partition was not only the result of the British divide and
rule policy but also the outcome of exact political blueprint to carry the partition of the country.
In the present paper the role of Jinnah in the creation of Pakistan has been analyzed in context to
Jaswant Singh’s book “Jinnah – India – Partition – Independence” and Jamil Dehlavi’s film
“Jinnah”.
Keywords: Empire, Government, Ideas, Role of individuals in encouraging change, India,
Pakistan, South Asia, independence, decolonization, nationalism
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European Journal of Business &
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ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 488
INTRODUCTION
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948)
was a lawyer, politician and the founder of Pakistan (East and West). Jinnah served as the leader
of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947,
and then as Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as Quaid- i-Azam ("Great Leader") and Baba-i-Qaum, "Father of the Nation"). His birthday is considered
a national holiday in Pakistan.
Born at Wazir Mansion in Karachi, Jinnah was trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London.
Upon his return to British India, he enrolled at the Bombay High Court, and took an interest in
national politics, which eventually replaced his legal practice. Jinnah rose to prominence in
the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of
his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the 1916 Lucknow
Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also become
prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in the All India Home Rule League, and proposed
a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims. In 1920,
however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of Satyagraha,
which he regarded as political anarchy.
By 1940, Jinnah had come to believe that Muslims of the Indian sub continent should have their
own state. In that year, the Muslim League, led by Jinnah, passed the Lahore Resolution,
demanding a separate nation. During the Second World War, the League gained strength while
leaders of the Congress were imprisoned, and in the elections held shortly after the war, it won
most of the seats reserved for Muslims. Ultimately, the Congress and the Muslim League could
not reach a power-sharing formula for the subcontinent to be united as a single state, leading all
parties to agree to the independence of a predominantly Hindu India, and for a Muslim-majority
state of Pakistan.
As the first Governor-General of Pakistan, Jinnah worked to establish the new nation's
government and policies, and to aid the millions of Muslim migrants who had emigrated from
the new nation of India to Pakistan after independence, personally supervising the establishment
Page 3 of 10
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 489
of refugee camps. Jinnah died at age 71 in September 1948, just over a year after Pakistan gained
independence from the United Kingdom. He left a deep and respected legacy in Pakistan.
Innumerable streets, roads and localities in the world are named after Jinnah. Several universities
and public buildings in Pakistan bear Jinnah's name. According to his biographer, Stanley
Wolpert, he remains Pakistan's greatest leader.
On 15 August 1947 the nation finally turned independent after being ruled for 200 years by
British Raj. While the whole world in 1940’s was annihilating by war here in India the three
leaders Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah were
indulged in making the constitution of a new Independent India. This was only made possible by
the continuous efforts and hard work of the leaders of India. When everything was going well
then, what was the reason that the need of partition arose, many historians said that it was the
hunger of congress for the power which lead to the separation of India and Pakistan. Gandhi
among these leaders was the only idealist who wanted an undivided nation. The British
negotiated with Jinnah who was the leader of Muslim league they said that Muslims being the
minors will lose their rights and separation was the only way to protect their rights. On the other
side Jawaharlal Nehru also went along the decision of separating the two countries on the basis
of religion.
By the late 19th century the people of India got tired of British rule which lead to the evolution
of one of the most powerful parties The Indian National Congress. This party was mainly created
to reforms in the British parliament. By the 20th century the Britishers try to give more power to
congress but till that time they wanted the nation to be independent and a complete self
government to stop these actions British government introduced laws which were restricting the
rights of the nationalist groups and even the rights of the public of India. Due to this action the
Indian National congress got a really strong support of people. In 1920’s with the leadership of
Mahatma the revolutionary group became really forbidding power. And also the Muslim
community was starting feeling bitter as the Hindus have gained the political hold. This lead to
the separation of Muslim from congress in the protest against religion. And on 30th December
1906 the Muslim community created its nationalist party the Muslim league. By 1910 there were
