The IBA History Society (IHS) at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi in collaboration with School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) and The Citizens Archive of Pakistan Archive (CAP) hosted an insightful panel discussion on ‘Paving the way for Pakistan: The Lahore Resolution’. Eminent historians and specialists revisited the events around the Lahore Resolution of March 23, 1940.
The speakers included Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Sohail University, and Director, Institute of Historical and Social Research, Karachi; Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi; Ms. Aaliyah Tayyebi, Senior Project Manager, CAP; and Ms. Aliya Naqvi, Faculty member, SESS, IBA Karachi.
The aim of this session was to engage in a discussion of the legal and political context of the Muslim League’s 1940 resolution, its historical significance and its political repercussions.
Commencing the panel discussion, Dr. Ahmed spoke about the events that shaped the political paradigm for the Lahore resolution. Discussing the contents of Mr. Jinnah’s speech, Dr. Ahmed pointed out that the right to self determination for the Muslim ‘nation’ was a major part of Quaid e Azam’s demands for the Muslim community in the Indian subcontinent, which he derived from the international laws of the day, as laid out by the League of Nations. Mr. Jinnah had also said that India is a subcontinent comprising many nations and not just just two.
Ms. Tayyebi shed light on the importance of oral history and walked the audience through a selection of original audios from people who had witnessed the addresses and speeches at the Minto Park gathering in Lahore. She stated that oral historical accounts make the audience travel back in time and provide a crucial window into history.
Dr. Zaidi highlighted the importance of reading original and authentic documents to learn true accounts of historical events.
The panel discussion was followed by an engaging Q&A session.
CAP has also arranged an exhibition at the IBA Main Campus from March 24-27, 2022, featuring original audios of people present at the 1940 Lahore jalsa, and historical photos from the CAP archives.
