When was Lahore Resolution Passed?

Lahore resolution was passed in annual meeting of Muslim League. The meeting was held from 22nd March to 24th March, 1940. Thus it’s not logical to confine it to one day of 23rd. Also, the resolution was supposedly passed on the last day of the meeting, so 24th March seems more appropriate. However more data is needed on this topic to confirm.

What is Republic Day?

23rd March 1956, is marked as the republic day for Pakistan. This day the British Crown accepted the constitution of Pakistan and Pakistan formally got the status of Republic, instead of Dominion of British Crown.

Why did British Crown accept the constitution if Pakistan was Free?

No, Pakistan was not Free from British rule in 1956. This is another common misconception among masses that Pakistan got Freedom in 1947. It didn’t

on 15th August 1947 (not 14th August), British Crown divided India into two dominions. Not free states. So in 1947 partition happened, not the freedom. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was appointed as the Governor General. The office of Governor General kept working on behalf of the Crown, till it was abolished in 1956, when the constitution of Pakistan was accepted by the British Crown.

This was the reason why this day, 23rd March 1956, was started as a celebration in Pakistan. Government of Pakistan also released a stamp in honour of the Republic Day in 1956.

Why don’t we celebrate 23 march as Republic Day anymore?

23rd March was started as a celebration of Republic Day (youm-e-jamhoor) from 1956. However after 2 years, Martial law was imposed in Pakistan on 7th October 1958, when Ayub Khan took charge as the Chief martial law administrator.

When martial law is imposed, the constitution is suspended. So it wasn’t possible to celebrate the republic day, which was started as a celebration for the approval of the constitution by the British Crown. And they changed the celebration title from 1956 to Lahore resolution of 1940. Even when the Lahore resolution wasn’t passed on exact date of 23rd March apparently.

Here are few postage stamps with first day issue covers of varius GPO of Pakistan Post in 1956.

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Lahore resolution was presented by Tiger of Bengal, A.K. Fazlul Huq (sher-e-bangla).

An excerpt from Wikipedia says:

The Lahore Resolution

The Original text of Lahore resolution is as follows:

Text says:

The Lahore Resolution

Resolved at the Lahore Session of All-India Muslim League

held on 22nd-24th March, 1940

(1) While approving and endorsing the action taken by the Council and the Working Committee of the All-India Muslim League indicated in their resolutions dated the 27th of August, 17th and 18th of September and 22nd of October, 1939, and 3rd February 1940 on the constitutional issue, this session of the All-India Muslim League emphatically reiterates that the scheme of federation embodied in the Government of India Act, 1935, is totally unsuited to, and unworkable in the peculiar conditions of this country and is altogether unacceptable to Muslim India.

(2) It further records its emphatic view that while the declaration dated the 18th of October, 1939 made by the Viceroy on behalf of His Majesty’s Government is reassuring in so far as it declares that the policy and plan on which the Government of India Act 1935, is based will be reconsidered in consultation with the various parties, interests and communities in India, Muslim India will not be satisfied unless the whole constitutional plan is reconsidered de novo and that no revised plan would be acceptable to the Muslims unless it is framed with their approval and consent.

(3) Resolved that it is the considered view of this session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country of acceptable to Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, namely that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute “Independent States” in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and soverign.

That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in these units and in these regions for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them; and in other parts of India where the Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and other minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them.

This Session further authorises the working committee to frame a scheme of constitution in accordance with these basic principles, providing for the assumption finally by the respective regions of all powers such as defence, external, affairs, communications, customs and such other matters as may be necessary.

The Delhi Resolution

The Pakistan resolution of March 1940 was further clarified by a resolution unanimously passed by the Muslim League Convention of elected M.L.A.s of the Centre and from the Provincesheld, under the Presidentship of the Quaid-i-Azam at Delhi on April 9 1946. Among other things the said resolution specified that:

The zones comprising, Bengal and Assam in the North-East and Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan in the North-West of India, namely Pakistan Zones, where the Muslims are in a dominant majority, be constituted into a soverign independent state and that an unequivocal undertaking be given to implement the establishment of Pakistan without delay.

Hopefully this text would be helpful in knowing more about what exactly happened between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh (now) and British crown on 23rd March 1940.

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