T HE independence of two territorial Muslim communities was the aim of the Muslim League as per the Lahore Resolution 1940. It was demanded that `geographically contiguous units` demarcated into regions of Muslim majority in the North Western and North Eastern zones ofIndia shouldconstitute `Independent States`. The revised Delhi resolution of 1946 spoke of an independent state `comprising Bengal and Assam in the North-East zone and the Punjab, North-West FrontierProvince,Sind and Balochistanin the North-West zone.
There were extraordinary challenges of governance owing to lack of geographical contiguity. This situation was extremely disadvantageousforthe people ofthe eastern wing as the capital was in the western wing. Soon after the 1965 war, Bengali nationalists demanded a confederation of two units. This genuine demand was rejected by military and civil leaders of the western region. Many mixed up the issue of autonomy for the eastern province with western subregional provinces. Resultantly in 1971 the eastern region seceded and emerged as Bangladesh.The western part retained the nomenclature of Pakistan. This name was coined in 1933 by Rahmat Ali for carving a northwestern country out of India. Earlier it was observed by Allama Iqbal during a Muslim League Session in 1930... that self-government with or without the British Empire, the formation of a `North-West Indian Muslim State appears to me the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of NorthWest India.
