B D Sharma
Pakistan came into being on 14th August, 1947 on partition of the Indian subcontinent but it celebrates its national day on 23rd of March every year because the seeds of formation of Pakistan were sown on 23rd of March, 1940 when the infamous Lahore resolution was passed in the session of Muslim League. During the course of negotiations and deliberations with Congress in 1944, Mahatma Gandhi had pushed forward Rajaopalachari’s proposal to “have plebiscite in the districts perceived to be Muslim majority” to ascertain whether the partition was called for or not. Rejecting the formula, Jinnah famously said, “It (the formula) was grossest travesty, a ridiculous proposal, offering a shadow and a husk- a maimed, mutilated, and moth-eaten Pakistan.” In the end Jinnah was able to get Pakistan consisting of two Muslim majority areas of the North West and North East of British India situated afar. It was a travesty of…
