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Mohammed Ali JinnahIndian Muslim leader and first Governor-General of Pakistan.
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Muhammad Ali Jinnah: The Leader of Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an Indian Muslim leader and the first Governor-General of Pakistan. He was born on December 25, 1876, in Karachi. His father was a successful trader who had moved to the city from the princely state of Rajkot in western India. Jinnah received his education in Karachi and later in Bombay. He then studied law at Lincoln's Inn in England.
After serving as a judge in Bombay and practicing law, Jinnah began his political career in 1906 as the personal secretary to Dadabhai Naoroji, the President of the Indian National Congress (INC). In 1913, Jinnah joined the All India Muslim League, which was established to protect the interests of Muslims. He was elected as its president in 1916. In 1919, he became the representative of Bombay Muslims in the Imperial Legislative Council. However, in the same year, the government implemented the Rowlatt Acts, aimed at suppressing the nationalist movement, and Jinnah resigned from the Council in protest.
In 1920, the INC launched a nationwide civil disobedience campaign. Jinnah strongly opposed this move and resigned from the INC. Believing in the possibility of Hindu-Muslim unity, Jinnah dedicated his efforts towards achieving this goal during his second and third terms as the president of the Muslim League. There were deep conflicts between the Congress and the League, exacerbated by personal animosity between Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi. These conflicts were particularly evident during the Round Table Conferences in 1930. Disillusioned by the inability to reach an agreement, Jinnah withdrew from political activities for four years and went to England to practice law.
In 1934, he returned to India to preside over a session of the Muslim League and decided to stay in the country to defend the interests of Islam. The Government of India Act 1935 significantly expanded the powers of Indian ministers, leading to increased disagreements between the two major communities. Muslims living in provinces dominated by Hindus felt that their rights were being infringed upon. While the legitimacy of these claims is debatable, they reflected the sentiments of the majority of Muslims who believed that no legislation or guarantees could protect them in a united India where Hindus would be the clear majority.
In March 1940, Jinnah led the sessions of the Muslim League in Lahore, where the demand for the division of India and the creation of the state of Pakistan, where Muslims would form the majority, was put forward. Throughout his thirty-year political career, Jinnah believed in the possibility of Hindu-Muslim unity and ultimately came to the conclusion that the division of the country was the only way out of the prevailing situation.
Having firmly held this viewpoint, Jinnah never wavered from it, and the division of India became an inevitable prospect due to his uncompromising stance during the discussions on the future constitution in 1942, 1945, and 1946. During these years, Jinnah came to be known as Quaid-e-Azam, the Great Leader, and he gained unquestionable authority within the Muslim League. When Pakistan was formed on August 14, 1947, Jinnah assumed the position of its Governor-General, and the First Constituent Assembly officially bestowed upon him the title of Quaid-e-Azam. Jinnah passed away in Karachi on September 11, 1948.