Address at First Conference of Cawnpore Muslim Students’ Federation, on 30th March, 1941

“Addressing the first Conference of the Cawnpore Muslim Students Federation, the Quaid said that: “for the last thirty years efforts had been made to bring about communal unity, but no settlement could be arrived at owing to the fact that the basis with which the Hindus and Hindu leaders started and the basis with which the Muslim leaders started for the purpose of negotiations were totally different. Hindus started on the basis that the Muslims were a minority and as such they might be given necessary safeguards, whereas Muslims started on the basis that they were a separate entity, and as such they could come to no settlement. The Congress made the point clear when it came into power in seven provinces by treating the Muslims as a minority. The Muslim League had, therefore, to formulate its goal which was done on March 23, 1940, at Lahore by passing a resolution about Pakistan. Congress had been deceiving Muslim youth by saying that it was fighting for the freedom of the country and that it was a national organization.”