Jinnah, Mohammed Ali
(1876–1948), Indian Muslim leader and Pakistan's first governor-general. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a Muslim Indian politician, played the leading role in the formation of the nation of Pakistan. Born in Karachi, Jinnah initially pursued a business career in London but soon switched to studying law at Lincoln's Inn and eventually became a barrister in Mumbai (then Bombay). Hiscareer in politics began when he helped Parsi Dadabhai Naoroji win a seat in the Indian legislature. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1906 and in 1913 became a member of the Muslim League, working to increase cooperation between Hindus and Muslims. Jinnah contributed significantly to drafting the Congress-League Lucknow Pact of 1916.
A huge portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah being hung for Pakistan Day on 23 March 1993. (REUTERS NEWMEDIA INC./CORBIS)After World War I, the political climate in India changed when Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) joined the Congress. Jinnah viewed Gandhi's ideas about noncooperation with the British as dangerous, but, unable to prevent the Congress from heeding Gandhi's message, Jinnah left the Congress in 1919. Nevertheless, he continued his political involvement and was elected to the viceroy's legislative council in Calcutta and New Delhi as an independent Muslim member from Bombay. While in London attending the first Round Table Conference on Indian constitutional reforms, Jinnah, along with Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, attained separate provincial status for Sind, which became the only province of British India with a majority Muslim population in 1935.
Jinnah returned to India to become the permanent president of the Muslim League. Empowered by its victories, the Congress blocked League members from positions in provincial cabinets in 1937. The situation led Jinnah to garner the support of Indian Muslims to achieve the status of Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader). Three years later at the League's session in Lahore, Jinnah proposed a resolution creating a separate Muslim state, since he believed that Muslims could no longer achieve equality while remaining an ethnic minority.
From then on, Jinnah's efforts were focused on making the Lahore Resolution a reality. On 14 August 1947, Pakistan was founded following extensive and intensive negotiations with Britain, and Jinnah became its first governor-general. The next year, however, he succumbed to lung cancer and was unable to realize further his vision for Pakistan.
Further Reading
Cleveland, William L. (1994) A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Haynes, Jeff, ed. (1999) Religion, Globalization, and Political Culture in the Third World. New York: St. Martin's Press.
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