The rise of M. A. Jinnah

Born on 25^th December 1876 in Wazir Mansion, Karachi¹ within Bombay Presidency of British India now in Sindh, Pakistan, Mahomedali Jinnabhai was the second child of Jinnahbhai Poonja and Mithibhai a couple migrated in 1875 from village Paneli of Gondal, a princely state situated in Gujarat. Jinnah left for London in 1892 and was trained as a Barrister at Lincoln’s Inn² in London. Jinnah’s family moved to Bombay³ in 1893 and he sailed for Bombay on 29^th April 1896 and passed a crucial time from 1897 to 1900 in order to establish himself as a lawyer. 

Jinnah’s political career was started in December 1904 by attending the Congress's twentieth annual meeting, in Bombay and became a member of Indian National Congress⁴ in 1906. Jinnah became a representative of Imperial Legislative Council⁵ from Bombay Muslim Constituency in 1909 and a representative of Imperial Legislative Assembly⁶ in 1910. Jinnah led a faction in Congress which worked for Hindu-Muslim unity and as a result he also joined in All-India Muslim League in 1913. Jinnah left Indian National Congress in 1920 and completely involved in All-India Muslim League. During this time one of his most notable activities was Lucknow Pact⁷ in 1916 when he was elected the president of All-India Muslim League.

On March 28, 1929 Jinnah proposed his famous fourteen points⁸ in a meeting of the council of the All India Muslim League as a constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims in a self-governing India. Jinnah’s Fourteen Points are given below due to its historical importance:

1.  The form of the future constitution should be federal, with the residuary powers vested in the provinces.

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

3.  All legislatures in the country and other elected bodies shall be constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective representation of minorities in every province without reducing the majority in any province to a minority or even equality.

4.  In the Central Legislature, Muslim representation shall not be less than one third.

5.  Representation of communal groups shall continue to be by means of separate electorate as at present, provided it shall be open to any community at any time to abandon its separate electorate in favor of a joint electorate.

6.  Any territorial distribution that might at any time be necessary shall not in any way affect the Muslim majority.

7.  Full religious liberty, i.e. liberty of belief, worship and observance, propaganda, association and education, shall be guaranteed to all communities.

8.  No bill or any resolution or any part thereof shall be passed in any legislature or any other elected body if three-fourth of the members of any community in that particular body opposes such a bill resolution.

9.  Sindh should be separated from the Bombay Presidency.

10.    Reforms should be introduced in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan on the same footing as in the other provinces.

11.    Provision should be made in the constitution giving Muslims an adequate share, along with the other Indians, in all the services of the state and in local self-governing bodies having due regard to the requirements of efficiency.

12.    The constitution should embody adequate safeguards for the protection of Muslim culture and for the protection and promotion of Muslim education, language, religion, personal laws and Muslim charitable institution and for their due share in the grants-in-aid given by the state and by local self-governing bodies.

13.    No cabinet, either central or provincial, should be formed without there being a proportion of at least one-third Muslim ministers.

14.    No change shall be made in the constitution by the Central Legislature except with the concurrence of the State's contribution of the Indian Federation.

Jinnah left India to attend first Round Table Conference in 1930. The conference held from November 12, 1930 to January 19, 1931. Jinnah took the decision to stay in London practicing as a barrister before Privy Council where he dealt with a number of Indian-related cases. From the beginning of 1933, Jinnah was requested to return in India by the Indian Muslims and at the end of 1934 he was nominated president of All India Muslim League in absence of him. In 1934 he returned in India especially due to the request of Liaquat Ali Khan⁹, who would be the lieutenant of Jinnah in the years to come and the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. After having a series of events including rioting in Kolkata titled as Direct Action Day¹⁰ in 16^th August 1946 finally Jinnah was able to create the first nation-state in the world “Pakistan” on 14^th August 1947, one day before the birth of India.