Arshad Mahmood Awan

Reference: Wikipedia

Pakistan Day or Pakistan Resolution Day, also Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956, making Pakistan the world’s first Islamic republic. The day also celebrates the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Muslim League at the Minar-e-Pakistan. This called for creating an independent sovereign state derived from the provinces with Muslim majorities located in the North-West and East of British India (excluding autonomous princely States) on 23 March 1940.

The day is celebrated annually throughout the country as a public holiday. The Pakistan Armed Forces usually hold a military parade to celebrate both the passing of the Lahore Resolution and the Constitution of 1956

The Lahore Resolution (Urdu: قراردادِ لاہور, Qarardad-e-Lahore; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, Lahor Prostab), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq, the Prime Minister of Bengal, was a formal political statement adopted by the All-India Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session in Lahore on 22–24 March 1940. The resolution called for independent states, as seen by the statement:

Those geographically contiguous units are demarcated regions which should be constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in the majority, as in the North Western and Eastern Zones of (British) India, should be grouped to constitute ‘independent states’ in which the constituent units should be autonomous and sovereign.

Although Choudhary Rahmat Ali had proposed the name “Pakistan” in his Pakistan Declaration, it was not until after the resolution that it began to be widely used.

According to Stanley Wolpert, Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s address to the Lahore conference was when Jinnah, once a proponent of Hindu-Muslim unity, irrevocably transformed himself for the cause of a separate Muslim homeland called Pakistan.

THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

Resolved at the Lahore Session of All-India Muslim League held on 22nd-24th March, 1940.

(1) While approving and endorsing the action taken by the Council and the Working Committee of the All Indian Muslim League as indicated in their resolutions dated 10 August, 17th and 18th of September and 22 October, 1939, and 3 February 1940 on the constitutional issues, this Session of the All-Indian Muslim League emphatically reiterates that the scheme of federation embodied in the Government of India Act, 1935, is totally unsuited to, and unworkable in the peculiar conditions of this country and is altogether unacceptable to Muslim India.

(2) Resolved that it is the considered view of this Session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, namely that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute “Independent States” in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.

(3) That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in these units and in these regions for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them; and in other parts of India where the Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and other minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them.

(4) This Session further authorizes the Working Committee to frame a scheme of constitution in accordance with these basic principles, providing for the assumption finally by the respective regions of all powers such as defense, external affairs, communications, customs and such other matters as may be necessary.”

Lahore resolution is the pioneer of the constitution of 1973 constitution. It is significant for the provincial autonomy and making of a new dominion. The resolution is translated into the constitution of Pakistan. The fundamental principle is to unite all Muslim-populated regions and make all regions autonomous. Regional autonomy is the hallmark of the resolution. Even there is a need to implement this principle in the letter and spirit of Pakistan. The principles of the protection of minorities and the cultural, social and economic rights of minorities are to be protected. The resolution further talks about the division of powers as far as powers are concerned.

Adopting the Lahore resolution as Pakistan day is now crucial to implement the spirit of the resolution. Although the spirit is translated into the constitution of Pakistan, however, there is a need to implement it in the power implementation corridors. Federalism is the way forward for the federation of Pakistan. Lastly, the day reminds us to make Pakistan a federation and run it according to the rule of law and constitution. https://republicpolicy.com/administrative-federalism-a-quest-for-provincial-administrative-autonomy/