Submitted to: Dr.

Irfan Waheed
Usmani

Submitted by: Syed Samiullah

Roll No: 733
Subject: Freedom Movement
Semester: Seventh

Book Review: “THE MAKING OF PAKISTAN: A STUDY

IN NATIONALISM”,
K.K.
AZIZ
“The making of Pakistan: A study in nationalism”, is one of the valuable work of Kursheed Kamal Aziz
among his forty-four literary books on the Muslims in subcontinent. The book, I am concern with, deals
in the Muslim nationalism and their struggle that finally resulted in the events of 1947 and a separate
homeland in which Muslims would serve as servants of Islam. However, the book was firstly printed in
London by Cox and Wyman Ltd, in 1967 and divided into eight disparate chapters, though these parts are
carefully linked to each other. This book is controversial in many aspects but Aziz had defended and
developed his arguments in close domain of facts. Overall, his work indulges in the course of nationalism
and how Muslims in India had adhered to the idea of separatism from Hindu and other non-Muslim
factions. Moreover, K.K. Aziz had made attempt to exhibit Indian nationalist’s reactions against this
separate nationalism, when the former revealed this separate nationalism was merely damaging the
united resentments against the imperial power.

Hence, to describe Muslim nationalism, Aziz has undertaken it under three-four aspects in All-Indian
context. The first aspect is the development of Muslim’s, regarding themselves as the separate nation in
contrast to Hindus that obviously, slowed down the united nationalism against the British Imperialism. To
elucidate this argument, he had generated it in the first three chapters with examples. Secondly, to
justify their nationhood, according to Aziz, Muslim nation had justified it on the philosophical terms. In
simple, cultural and religious sentiments had played decisive role in establishment of an Independent
Muslim state. This stage of Muslims has been marked in great details by the writer in chapter 4 and 5.
Apart from it, the last theme of the book is specified in the last chapters of the book. In which Aziz had
derived all the psychological factor that Indian Muslims took pride in being one nation, and how they
invented symbols to reflect their aspirations. It also examines the Two-nation theory that perfected the
solidarity of Muslims. All the aspects, I have aforementioned are developed in the light of writer, in the
following foregoing paragraphs.

Now K.K Aziz writes, the consciousness of Muslim as a different nation from Hindus came when sir Syed
attempted to convince Muslims of their position in British India and they as a different nation from
Hindus. In the second place, the Aligarh movement and his sense of loyalty sprang from his reading of
the Hindu-Muslim problem. which Syed calculated that “Every advance towards democracy would mean
the repression of the Muslims under the rule of the Hindu majority". By the turn of new century, K.K Aziz
alluded that new young generation with good solidarity ideas- came to the forefront. These fresh
blooded bodies, vowed for politics and leaving the tradition of "aloofness from politics" because the
1892 Indian council act could anytime have unleashed and sprout for the reforms. In 1905, lord Curzon
had announced his order for the partition of Bengal. As said earlier, such events now disrupted the
nationalist and patriotic spirit of Indian people, especially from Bengal. consequently, the extreme
measures of Indian nationalists resulted in annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911 and the
subsequent aim of Muslim League changed from 'loyalty' to a 'form of government’. With the gradual
time, the Muslims of India felt anti-Muslim dint when the attempts were made by western powers to
disintegrate Muslim ottoman empire. Though, the more Pan- nationalist sentiment aroused in Indian
Muslims and resulted in the khilafat movement. finally, K.K Aziz says," With the adoption of the Pakistan
ideal by the Muslim League in 1940, Muslim nationalism had come into its own”. Similarly, argued that if
Muslims had been asked to choose Between the Hindus and the British they would have chosen the
latter to trust and on the religious terms they were much closer to the Christianity, but not to the idol-
worshippers.

Throughout the history, one can find that religion had played major role in influencing the spirit of
nationalists. Even some scholars have gone so far in defining religion with nationalism, suggested that
“state is the political church organizations". However, in Indian context, the writer has exposed the
religious sentiments that had always been connected to nationalism. Gandhi had allied both the religion
and nationalism and applied in Indian teachings. similarly, before him, Tilak felt that "nationalism needed
a spiritual base". They gave a religious color to political opinions, as Aziz summed: "it was swaraj, not
self-government, that he wanted for India. It was Satyagraha, not non-co-operation, that he taught to
the people. it was Bharat-Mata, not the motherland, to which he bore obedience". On the other hand,
Muslims religious thoughts were wholly disparate from the Hindus one. Islam, is anti-national in theory.
All the Muslims in the world are supposed to belong to one big society-call it nation or ummat/millat.
Deoband ulema in India denied even the validity of the concept of territorial nationalism. But Muslim
league and other Ulemas had succeeded in their endeavors to convince Muslims of the connection of
religion and nationalism. As far as the factor of culture was concerned, it was landmark in the
nationalism. A prominent Muslim Congressman pointed "the partition of India was due mainly to
the forces of cultural separatism". Muslims in India had broadly conceived the culture, namely, “Muslim
culture” as a distinctive culture, only based on Islam. It was the clash of two civilizations, of two different
cultural dichotomies who had different languages, different literature different educational
ideas, different philosophy, and different concepts of art. The writer notes that this cultural gulf was
enough to destroy the united nationalism.

According to Aziz, Patriotism is same as like the faith, that remains fundamentally a state of mind,
"patriotism is born and fed upon: the concepts of a territory, a human group, a literary or artistic
inheritance, a language and political history". These mentioned elements are not enough, but they had
to be maintained via the observance of patriotism, same as we exaggerate that our faith is the right
faith. Taking examples of both India and Pakistan, Aziz obsessed that they cannot be called a nation
because certain elements were missing but the psychological elements had tight these nations to some
extent united. Such arguments, like Indian nation is the one and secondly the Muslims had disrupted it,
was totally based on myths which aroused the Hindu sentiments of making Hindu state. On the other
hand, Muslims also believed and held arguments that Indian country or nation was a figment of the
Hindu imagination, that at least they did not subscribe to it, and that if such thing as an Indian nation did
exist he was not a part of it. Nevertheless, Muslim living as minority in India, build the psyche that they
would not be dealt on fair means and subsequently, indulged in the fear of insecurity. Throughout
Jinnah’s addresses and Muslim league resolutions one can find that they were not optimistic toward
congress. Thus, on these principles, Jinnah for the first time called Indian Muslims had a nation. Before
him, sir Syed Ahmed khan had dared to say that musalmans in India is one Quam- if translated in English,
it literally means a nation of Muslims. Moreover, the theory of two nations was imbued in the Muslim
community, even nationalist Muslims who were in opposition to it, finally admitted that “as a Muslims
they cannot tolerate humiliating conditions and they would rather live in the hell of Pakistan than live in
the heaven of Hindustan and its degrading economic and social treatment”.
 we can reckon, that the methodology applied by writer is qualitative. He had attempted his best to
answer the questions in analytical way in close proximity to facts. Though, he had raised many questions,
those are rarely answered in the previous scholarly work to this extend. To support his arguments in
good way he had indulged in various primary and secondary sources. The major of them are primary,
that includes official documents, such as, East India (Reconstitution of the Provinces of Bengal and
Assam): Papers Relating to the Reconstitution of the Provinces of Bengal and Assam, London, 1905 and
East India (Constitutional Reforms): Proposals for Indian Constitutional Reforms, London, 1933. Many
Such primary publications are much closely examined. Moreover, other secondary sources mentioned in
the last of the book, included the works of famous historians. Secondary Publication includes a useful list
which is useful to be consulted for further details on this particular topic.

After all, the book has laid various factors that resulted in the rise of Muslim nationalism, and when they
realized themselves as separate nation from Hindus under the colonial Raj. And K.K. Aziz has tried to
repeal the nationalist histories that have been written with the omission of exact facts and wholly
exaggerated. Every nationalist history on both sides, if it is India or Pakistan, they had distorted the real
face of past. Hence, in pursuance to write ‘objective’ history, writer has approached in impartial way.
Which I appreciate it the most and it has certainly developed or enhanced my intellectual insight.
Secondly, this book has concerned or overemphasized the religious and cultural factor in the rise of
Muslim nationalism in India, and slightly putted the light on the history of political economy. Thirdly, like
his other such works, i.e. “The Murder of History: A critique of History textbooks used in pakistan”
(1985), he dared to make critiques on the events rather giving details of that particular event in balanced
way. However, it is no good way or would be amiss to reject any piece of his work on these mentioned
terms and conditions rather, we should extract his newly created ideas and study it further for our own
intellectual benefits.