Dr. Syed Latif's Correspondence and Proposal for an Alternate Indian Federation to M.A. Jinnah

Sub title : A Scheme for Culturally Autonomous States and Population Transfer

Subject: Indian Constitutional Reform (1940) | Pakistan Movement | Federation of India

Date of publication: 1940

Language: English

Page: 65 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27684

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah -- Dr. Syed Latif -- Alternate Federation Scheme | Lahore Resolution 1940 -- Two-Nation Theory -- Cultural Autonomy | Population Exchange -- Muslim Homelands -- Indian Constitution -- All-India Muslim League

Abstract: This collection consists of a detailed proposal from Dr. Syed Latif to M.A. Jinnah, presenting an "alternate scheme of Federation" to replace the Government of India Act of 1935. Written in May 1940, shortly after the Lahore Resolution, the scheme is rooted in the Two-Nation Theory, arguing that India is a federation of nationalities, not a single nation. It outlines a final goal of partitioning India into 15 "culturally autonomous states" (4 for Muslims, 11 for Hindus), necessitating a large-scale, managed exchange of population on the model of the 1923 Greco-Turkish exchange. The documents include a draft resolution for the All-India Muslim League, a detailed ideological justification, and specific constitutional safeguards for minorities during a proposed transitional period, covering legislature, executive, and public services.

Description: This is a significant collection of sixteen digitized pages containing Dr. Syed Latif's comprehensive constitutional proposal sent to Quaid-e-Azam M.A. Jinnah. The documents include his covering letter, a draft resolution for the Muslim League, and a detailed schedule outlining the ideology, final goal (with a specific map of proposed Muslim and Hindu zones), and a transitional constitution. The proposal is notable for its early and detailed conceptualization of population transfer as a solution to India's communal problem, pre-dating the eventual partition of 1947. It provides crucial insight into the ideological and political brainstorming that was occurring within Muslim intellectual circles at a critical juncture, offering a concrete vision of what a future Pakistan could entail in terms of territoriality and governance. The inclusion of correspondence with Dr. Rajendra Prasad on the practicalities of compensation for migrants further enriches the collection. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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