By 1916, hopes of a speedy and conclusive British victory in the War had disappeared and disillusionment had set in. This realization brought the Muslim League close to the Congress. In the Lucknow Pact of 1916, the Muslim League and the Congress agreed to urge Britain to grant self-governance to the people of India and announce substantial reforms after the War as a step towards that goal. The Lucknow Pact settled the proportionate election of representatives of Muslims and Hindus in the provincial and all-India legislatures.

The scheme for constitutional reforms prepared by the Reforms Committees of Congress and Muslim League, in which the Quaid-i-Azam played a major role, was approved and an agreement on a scheme of constitutional reforms was reached at between Congress and Muslim League. This is known as ‘Lucknow Pact.’ It was decided that both Congress and Muslim League would submit the jointly an approved scheme to the Government for its introduction after the war in order to introduce self-Government in India.

The Lucknow Pact was a visible achievement of the Hindu and Muslim leaders who were successful in offering for the first and the only time, a mutually acceptable solution of the Hindu-Muslim problem.