Message to the Students of Islamia College Peshawar, July 30, 1940

Message to the Students of

Islamia College Peshawar,
July 30, 1940

give you some account as short as possible of the work that the All-India Muslim League has done during the last three years. The Muslim League, as you know, was in a moribund state in 1936 and the Muslims were dead. During the last three years, the Muslim League has organized the Muslims all over India to such an extent that it has been a matter not only of admiration but astonishment to those who are friends and those who are opponents. It is a remarkable thing, when the history comes to be written, how within these three years the bulk of 90 million Muslims rallied round one platfarm and under one flag, a thing that you have never known in the history of the Muslims for the last 200 years. It seems almost like a miracle that such a thing could have happened. All our enemies, all our Opponents were fully confident and hoped in the idea that the Muslims will never unite, that they will quarrel; and in that hope their mission was to inclucate and cause disruptions and divisions amongst the Mussalmans. Today, let me tell you that they have now given up the efforts to create division and disruption amongst the Muslims. I take only the latest instance of the Rohilichand constituency seat for the Central Assembly. They were told that it was the Congress hold, the Hindu hold and that the last member who was elected was a Muslim but a Congressite Muslim. Well, I never indulge in a language which would in any way convey that I take delight in the misfortune of anybody. The gentleman who was occupying the seat from the Rohilkhand constituency, I suppose, could not help obeying the High Command and had to perform individual sacyargraha and, as a result, he was made the guest of His Majesty’s House (laughter) for more than one year, and as a consequence which follows, I mean
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the legal consequence, he was unseated. But when we put up our candidate, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, there was no Congress to be seen either on the land or on the horizon! (Laughter). That is only one instance and there are many. But let us see what the Muslim League has clone.
Remember You have got to achieve, in the first instance, the goal, namely, that you want “Muslim India” to be under our government. That yoy have to achieve; and you cannot achieve that by merely passing resolutions. You realize, what it means. Of con rse, wç have declared on hundreds of platforms that wd are not a minority. Quite right, we are not a minoziiy although, much to my regret, I say that Hind leadership is still harping on the same old story that wq are a minority, and that they are willing to give all the safeguards according to the principles laid down by the League of Nations. I read this formula today laid down by a great Hindu leader, who spoke at the Hindu. Minorities Conference that was going on yesterday it1 this city. Let me tell my friends, the Hindu leaders, that the League of Nations• is dead. Don’t you know, that yet? Let me tell them, you are living atleast a quarter of a century behind. Not. only that, but you do not realize that the entire face of the world is being changed from week to week and from month to month in the European and other fields of battle, Cannot tis conservative community, this exclusive community, modernize and change its intentions and views? Bitt it is as clear as daylight that we are not a minority. We are a nation. Nation does not live in the air. It lives on the land, it must govern land, and must have tenitorial state, and that is what you want to get.
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