25 December 1876 - 11 September 1948

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

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EMHAI

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948), also revered as Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader), was a barrister and politician who played a pivotal role in the founding of Pakistan. Born into a merchant family of modest means, Jinnah's Sindhi upbringing paved his desire towards a bright career. He possessed a striking and angular face and with his notorious karakul (hat), exuded an air of authority. His sister Fatima Jinnah remarks “even in the playground, my brother had a sense of superiority.” His stance on independence is one of the most contested ideas of Partition.

Muhammad Jinnah arrived in the UK in 1893, embarking on his study of Law and Politics at Lincoln’s inn. At just 19, he became the youngest Indian to be called to the bar in England. He resided in various lodgings including 35 Russell Road, Kensington, the home of Mrs. F. E. Page-Drake and her daughter. The residency now displays a blue plaque in his honour. In 1930, he moved to Hampstead, to West Heath House. It was here he entertained Liaquat Ali Khan (1895-1951), another of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister and one of its founding fathers.

From 1913, Jinnah assumed leadership of the All-India Muslim League until the establishment of an independent, Muslim-majority, Pakistan on August 14th, 1947. There is ongoing debate regarding Jinnah’s stance, with discussion revolving whether he championed the formation of a democratic modern Muslim state or fought for the rights of Muslims across an undivided India. Partition itself reflected as an inescapable consequence of differences between Muslims and Hindus instigated by the British. There were also many external factors including the Second World War, the British Raj, rising communal tensions in the 1930s, and politics at a national and provincial level, which in turn, can be traced back to British occupation and divide and conquer rule.

Known for his rapier wit and intellect, the National Congress of India took Jinnah in where he advanced in his political journey. Jinnah soon found himself in a prominent position within the chambers of John MacPherson and in 1909 was elected to the Imperial Legislative Council. In 1913, Jinnah joined the All-India Muslim League to advocate religious unity and led the controversial joint electorate, the Jinnah League. three years later, becoming its President. This was unusual for someone to simultaneously play a role in both factions, however in 1916, Jinnah established the Lucknow Pact, which can be recognised as a significant milestone in attempts to promote Muslim-Hindu unity. This suggests that Jinnah did not specifically argue for an independent Muslim-majority state, but ‘use the power of areas where the Muslims were a majority, to create a shield of protection for where they were in a minority.’ Jinnah was determined in consolidating a united front in India that respected the rights of Muslim and religious practise within India.

Gandhi’s rise as a key political figure in the 1920s marginalised Jinnah within Indian politics. By the 1940s, their mutual dislike became poisonous, and Jinnah became the prominent figure leading the Muslim League. This led to his advocation for a separate Muslim homeland in India, a stance he previously opposed, considering partition as merely a negotiating tool. By the late 1940s, the concept of partition was still only a potential possibility, however the second world war had exhausted the British of supplies, goods and sufficient finances. To extricate from further economic burden, India’s last viceroy Lord Mountbatten proposed the Indian independence Act on 3rd June 1947 and the publication of Radcliffe’s line that geographically mapped out the partition of India, accompanied unexplainable violence and genocide, which is one of the deadliest, forced mass-migrations in history.

On 14th August 1947, Pakistan was declared an independent state where Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworn in as its first Governor-General.