Hence, as a response to the Nehru Report, the Muslims presented their own demands as envisaged in the Quiad-i-Azam's famous Fourteen Points which, in fact, were the counter proposals to Hindu demands as expressed in the Nehru Report. The meeting of Muslims on March 28, 1929 thus resolved that no future constitution for India would be acceptable to Muslims unless the following basic principles put-forth by the Quaid-i-Azam were not incorporated in it which envisaged the following demands:
- "The form of the future constitution should be federal in structure with residuary powers vested in the provinces;
- A uniform measure of autonomy should be granted to all provinces;
- All legislatures, central and provincial, and other elected bodies in the country should be constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective representation of minorities in every province without reducing the majority in any province to a minority or even equality;
- In the Central Legislature, Muslim representation should not be less than one-third;
- Representation of communal groups should continue to be based on separate electorates, but the option to abandon separate electorate in favour of a joint electorate at any time, should be given to every community;
- Any territorial redistribution that might at any time be necessary should not in any way affect the Muslim majority in the Punjab, Bengal, and North-West Frontier Provinces;
- Full religious liberty that is, liberty of belief, worship and observance, propaganda, association and education should be guaranteed to all communities;
- No Bill or resolution or any part thereof should be passed in any legislative or any elected body if three-fourths of the members of a community in that particular body opposed such a Bill, resolution or part thereof on the ground that it would be injurious to the interests of that community, or alternatively such other methods should be devised which might practically deal with such cases;
- Sindh should be separated from the Bombay Presidency;
- Reforms should be introduced in the North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan on the same footing as in other provinces;
- Provision should be made in the Constitution giving Muslims an adequate share along with the other Indians in all the services of the state and in local self-governing bodies having due regard to the requirements of efficiency;
- The Constitution should embody adequate safeguards for the protection of Muslim culture and for the promotion of Muslim education, language, religion, personal laws, and Muslim charitable institutions and for their due share in the grants-in-aid given by the state and by self-government bodies;
- No Cabinet, either Central or Provincial, should be formed without there being at least one-third Muslim ministers;
- No change should be made in the Constitution by the central legislature except with the concurrence of the States constituting the Indian Federation".
Quaid-i-Azam's Fourteen Points (1929)
Jinnah's Fourteen Point Formula remained a point of reference in many forthcoming negotiations between the Congress and the Muslim League but it was never accepted by the Congress.
It was in 1929 that the All Parties Muslim Conference held at Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Aga Khan III, of which Allama Muhammad Iqbal was an ardent votary, passed a resolution formulating Muslim demands regarding the future political set-up of the sub-continent. This resolution, said Allama Iqbal, a year later, was wholly inspired by the noble idea of a "Muslim India within India". It envisaged recognition of Muslim majorities in the Punjab and Bengal, separation of Sind from Bombay as a province, introduction of constitutional reforms in N.W.F.P., and Baluchistan, complete Provincial antonomy, representation through separate electorates and a ban on legislating on any inter-communal matter without the approval of the three-fourth majority of the concerned community.
Political events took an ominous turn in the course of the next few months. These was a three - pronged attack on Muslim interests. On the one hand, the Hindus offered a tough opposition and on the other, the Government of India in the course of its observations on the Simon Commission Report ignored the Muslim demands.
At the end of December 1930, Allama Muhammad Iqbal went to Allahabad and in the course of his Presidential Address at the annual session of the All-India Muslim League said: "The formation of a consolidated North-West Muslim State appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims at least of North-West India."
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