Two Nations Theory: Creation of Two Major Power in South Asia in 1947

"Any idea of a United India could never have worked, and in my judgment, it would have led us to terrific disaster."-Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Image: Muhammad Ali Jinnah

On the history page, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is known as the founder of Pakistan and contributes his thought along with Chowdhury Rahmat Ali, Allama Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, many influential notable people; they have created an ideology of "Two Nations Theory." This theory states that Hindu and Muslims are two isolated countries with particular social, political, and social values and cannot be consolidated in one another. This theory was so influential that these two nations were born in 1947; India and Pakistan.

Some historians think that if this theory was not provided, then the result of the Indian Subcontinental could be something else. Some believe that by providing two nations theory, Mohammad Ali Jinnah did the duty of an ambassador of Hindus & Muslims demand.

After the battle of Plassey, the independence of India passed into the hands of the British empire. The ruler who has helped the British army during battle got extra support, power from them. This war becomes bless for Hindu Zamindar, ruler because Muslims were involved in the battle of Plassey. In 1793, British ruler Charles Cornwallis brought the permanent settlement where Under this treaty, the zamindar became the sole proprietor of land and property in the colonial state system. In addition to being the land proprietor, the zamindars acquire zamindari with the benefit of proprietary tenure at a fixed rate of revenue. The zamindars, however, had a strict obligation under the government. That is to pay the revenue demand of the government regularly. The zamindars were warned that if any of them failed to pay the instalment on the due date, all the lands of the defaulting person or the land suitable for meeting the arrears would be sold at auction. On the other hand, in 1857, the Muslim community in this nation has endured an extraordinary bargain. Their financial prosperity was devastated, and the economic backbone of the Muslim aristocracy was broken. Through this system, Muslims were expelled from the revenue administration, but amid the Muslim period, the tall ways of income organization were within the Muslim aristocracy's elite possession. Under the new system, Muslims misplaced their previous ties to the nobility and suffered severe financial losses.

Image: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was the primary to theorize the two-nation theory and to empowered Muslims to back it. Muhammad Iqbal and Chowdhury Rahmat Ali created the two-nation theory. Moreover, they offered proposals on the borders and the Muslim state's name that should be established beneath the two-nation theory. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the one who completed the lost aspects of the two-nation theory and made it the basis for the establishment of Pakistan. Within the light of the two-nation theory, India and Pakistan were established as a modern power in South Asia on 14 August & 15 August 1947 as a result of these decided and reliable theoretical and practical endeavors.

If we observe history, we will get some important references that will explain why this two-nation theory was needed.

This Indo Continent Region has a great history of empire rule. Sometimes it was ruled by Hindu Kings, Emperors and sometimes by Muslim Kings, Emperors, Nawabs. Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Maratha Empire, and Nawab rules were running between these times. 

The Two Nation Theory took place because of these significant differences:

• Religious Differences- The Hindus and Muslims have a place to diverse religions. Islam preaches Tawheed and accepts in correspondence of man before the law. Muslims are the believers of God, The Holy Prophet and the Holy Book Quran and hold a cohesive life approach. On the other hand, Hinduism is based on the concept of different Gods. Their society follows a caste system separated into four classes and has a contract approach towards life.
• Hindu Nationalism- Several Hindu patriot movements, which rose from time to time within Indian history, included fuel to the fire by playing up the pressure and hostility between the two communities. The Hindu patriot pioneers completely overlooked the Muslims' incredible commitment within the Indian society by way of promoting education and other social activities. Their compositions and ideas flared up the communal friction between Hindus and Muslims to advance contaminate the political condition.
• Cultural Differences- Muslims took after the Islamic culture, whereas Hindus acquired a self-build culture. The Hindus burnt their dead bodies, whereas Muslims burred them. Hindus considered the 'Mother cow' as a sacrosanct creature and worshipped it, whereas Muslims butchered it. They performed 'sati' whereas Muslims hated this convention. The Hindus and Muslims did not intermarry, nor they inter-dine.
• Social Differences- The two communities of the Sub Continent vary in their social life as well. The dress, the nourishments, the family utensils, the format of homes, the words of greeting, the motions and everything about them were diverse and instantly pointed to their particular beginning.
• Economics Differences-It has been mentioned the early that Muslim’s economics were crushed, and Hindus were taking those places because of British Strength and Power.
• Educational Differences- The Hindus had progressed within the academic field since they quickly and promptly took the English education. In contrast, Muslims did not get advanced education which heavily influenced their financial conditions.
• Political Differences-The political differences between the Hindus and Muslims have played an essential role in the development and evolution of Two Nation Theory. Some of issues were:

· Hindi Urdu Controversy-In 1867, Hindus demanded that Urdu be written in Hindi Script instead of Persian Script. This created another gap between Hindus and Muslims.

·       Congress Attitude-The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. It claimed to represent all communities of India but oppressed all Muslim ideas and supported the Hindus.

·        Partition of Bengal-In 1905, the partition of Bengal ensured several political benefits for the Muslims, but the Hindus launched an agitation against the partition and partition was annulled in 1911.

• Language Differences- The Muslims and Hindus wrote and talked in two different languages. The language of the previous was Urdu, and it was written in Arabic Script. On the other hand, the Hindi language was spoken by Hindus, and it was written in Sanskrit. Urdu and Hindi language had the distinction in writing, considerations of verse, expressions, portrayal, and music words. Indeed, this minor difference led to a blending struggle between the two nations.

On 22-24 March 1940, in a general session of the Muslim League were sited in Lahore, it may be a point of interest record of Pakistan’s history. The passing of the resolution stamped the change of the Muslim minority in British India into a nation with its recognizing socio-cultural and political highlights, a sense of history and shared desires for the future inside a territory. The resolution addressed the Muslim address within the political and constitutional context of British India and pointed out the course of action the Muslim League expecting to receive to secure the Muslim identity, rights and interests.

Image: Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946

On 24 March 1946, the Cabinet Mission was held. It was the procedure to transferring the power from the British Government to Indian Leaders, where The Indian National Congress and the Muslim League – had principal contrasts over India’s future. Whereas the Muslim League wanted India's Muslim majority territories to constitute an isolated, autonomous state of Pakistan, but the Congress wanted a united India.

The Muslim-Hindu Relation took a hostile relation place when 16 August 1946, a riot took place in Calcutta, known as Calcutta Riot. The violence, exceedingly organized in character, comes about from the two major communities' contempt and doubt. 16 August 1946 was chosen as the coordinate activity day when Muslims went through the subcontinent to suspend all trade to support the Muslim League demand for Pakistan. On the other hand, the Hindu popular supposition energized circular the anti-Pakistan motto. Bengal's Congress pioneers were not essentially Hindu communalists, however, since most of the party's back came from the Hindus, a segment of Congressmen.

Image: Calcutta Riot in 1946

Created a solid sense of Hindu character because of the perceived danger from the Pakistan movement. Their campaign certainly served to arouse the Hindu intellect against the Coordinate Action Day, which was likely to be especially effective in Bengal since it had a League ministry in control.

Image: Noakhali Riot in 1946

Also, the same year, Noakhali Riots took place from October to November. The Hindu populace's massacre began on 10 October, on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja and proceeded unabated for around a week. It is evaluated that 5,000 were killed, hundreds of Hindu ladies were raped, and thousands of Hindu men and women were forcibly converted to Islam. Around 50,000 to 75,000 survivors were shielded in transitory alleviation camps in Comilla, Chandpur, Agartala and other places. Approximately 50,000 Hindus remained marooned within the influenced zones under the Muslims' strict observation, where the administration had no say. 

Although, These Issues were creating tensions between these two nations and the Cabinet Mission was also failed. So, on 20 February 1947, Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister, announced the British deliberate to leave India by June 1948, resulting in India and Pakistan's partition in August 1947.

Image: Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi

Post Opinion About Two Nation Theory- Two Nations Theory created two modern power in the south Asian region. However, some renowned scholars think that this theory gave Pakistan its actual identity. Some of the opinions that Islamists have utilized this theory as an ideological device justify Pakistan's claims to be a theocratic state. Even then, there are some questions that historians have not answered about this Two Nation Theory.