The formation of Pakistan in traditional history is that of a political evolution in the Muslim communities of North-western and eastern India. It was a political formation that was to fulfill the desire for an autonomous state for the Muslim community. Pakistan was to represent its namesake, 'the land of the pure.' It was an effort towards "peace and harmony as a free and independent people," as addressed by Jinnah in his presidential address to the Muslim League in 1940(Guha). Contemporary study of the partition and the formation of Pakistan itself is not as poetic. It can be argued that Pakistan is the result of the British seeking support for World War II. With the Congress ministries in the provinces resigning over the British declaration of India being at war with Hitler's Germany, it appeared to Indians as a reassertion of high-handed British imperialism.(Metcalf) This is when the Muslim League enacted the 'Pakistan Resolution' and demanded independent Muslim states. The dissatisfaction of the Congress, from the initial resignation of its ministries through the subsequent abortive negotiations, to the final upheaval of 'Quit India,' forced the British to look elsewhere for support for the war.(Metcalf) As a result, the Muslim League held prominence as an accommodating beneficiary towards the British.(Metcalf) Although in the earlier stages, Pakistan was not envisaged nor desired a partition-- it was an outcome of gaining of mass support, especially in certain regions and political circumstances. The partition itself led to horrific violence, which was different from earlier communal violence in South Asia especially in terms of cultural repercussions. The subsequent policies and early history of the newly independent nation-state of Pakistan was certainly shaped through Partition violence. The purpose of this historical assessment is to analyze the various aspects of the 'Pakistan movement' and its effects on the history of South Asia, especially the relationship between modern-day India and the parted nation-state of Pakistan.
