Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was one of the earliest proponents of the creation of the state of Pakistan. He gave the name "Pakistan" for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia. In 1933 a group of Muslim students at Cambridge led by Chaudhry Rehmat Ali proposed a separate homeland for Muslims. He also founded the Pakistan National Movement in England.
Choudhry Rahmat Ali 16 November 1897 – 3 February 1951) was a Pakistani nationalist who was one of the earliest proponents of the creation of the state of Pakistan. He is credited with creating the name "Pakistan" for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia and is generally known as the founder of the Pakistan Movement and for its creation. He is best known as the author of a famous 1933 pamphlet titled "Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever", also known as the "Pakistan Declaration"[1][2]
The pamphlet started with a famous statement:
At this solemn hour in the history of India, when British and Indian statesmen are laying the foundations of a Federal Constitution for that land, we address this appeal to you, in the name of our common heritage, on behalf of our thirty million Muslim brethren who live in PAKSTAN [used as an acronym]
Education and career
Ali was born in November 1897 into a Gujjar Muslim family of the Gorci clan[5] in the town of Balachaur in the Hoshiarpur District of Punjab, Punjab, British India. After graduating from Islamia Madrassa Lahore in 1918, he taught at Aitchison College Lahore before joining Punjab University to study law. However, in 1930 he moved to England to join Emmanuel College Cambridge, in 1931.[when?] Subsequently, he obtained a BA degree in 1933 and MA in 1940 from the University of Cambridge. In 1933, he published a pamphlet, "Now or Never", coining the word Pakistan for the first time. In 1943, he was called to the Bar, from Middle Temple, London. Rahmat Ali finished education in England, obtaining MA and LLB with honors from the universities of Cambridge and Dublin. In 1946, he founded Pakistan National Movement in England. Until 1947, he continued publishing various booklets about his vision for South Asia. The final Partition of India disillusioned him due to the mass killings and mass migrations it ended up producing. He was also dissatisfied with the distribution of areas among the two countries and considered it a major reason for the disturbances.
Philosophy
Ali believed that the Muslims of India had to reform politically to become a viable, independent community. He was inspired by Islamic history, he believed that Indian Muslims should similarly unite to survive in what he perceived to be an increasingly hostile India.
As such, Ali's writings, in addition to those of Muhammad Iqbal and others were major catalysts for the formation of Pakistan. He offered the name "Charsistan" for a Muslim homeland in the Bengal region, and "Nawazistan" for a Muslim homeland in the Deccan. He also suggested Dhania as a name for a South Asia of various religions.
Ali is known for his steadfast dedication to the idea of Pakistan. After its formation in 1947, he argued on its behalf at the United Nations over the issue of Kashmir, and the rights of Muslim minority of India.