At a glance
Era 12- Dates
- 1876-1948 CE
- Who
- Lawyer and leader of the Muslim League who led the movement for Pakistan
- Era
- The Modern Ummah
ProfileMuhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born in Karachi in 1876, studied law in London and became one of the leading lawyers of British India. At first he worked for unity between Hindus and Muslims in the movement for self-rule.
Over time he came to believe that Muslims would not be treated fairly in a united India dominated by the Congress party. He led the All-India Muslim League, and in 1940, at Lahore, the League called for independent states in the Muslim-majority regions. Through the 1940s he pressed the case with great determination.
On 14 August 1947 Pakistan was born, and Jinnah became its first governor-general. The partition of India brought great violence and the movement of millions of people. Already seriously ill, he died in September 1948. In Pakistan he is honoured as the Quaid-e-Azam, the Great Leader.
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