Unionist Muslim League

The Unionist Muslim League, also known simply as the Unionist party was a political party based in the province of Punjab during British Raj in India. The Unionist party mainly represented the interests of the landed gentry and landlords of Punjab, which included Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. However, the party was an umbrella organisation of the All India Muslim League. The Unionists dominated the political scene in Punjab from World War I to the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947.

Organisation

The Unionist party, like Congress a secular Party, was formed as a political party representing the interests of Punjab's large feudal classes and gentry.Although a majority of Unionists were Muslims, a large number of Hindus and Sikhs also supported and participated in the Unionist party.This was in contrast to the Indian National Congress and other socialist political parties that adopted a mass-based approach. In contrast to the Congress, in its early years of establishment, the Unionists supported the British Raj. The Unionists contested elections for the Punjab Legislative Council and the Imperial Legislative Council, which were boycotted by the Congress and the Muslim League. Thus Unionist members composed a majority of Punjab's legislators and council members for several decades.

Link with the Muslim League

The Unionists shared a common constitution with the Muslim League and followed a common policy and agenda for national issues. But the Unionist organisation and activities in Punjab were virtually independent of the League. The Unionists were virtually an independent political party in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Muslim League was unpopular and divided into feuding factions. The links improved after Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the League's president in the mid-1930s. However, the rule of Unionist leader Sir Sikander Hyat Khan was undisputed in the Punjab. Sir Sikander served numerous terms as Punjab's chief minister, often forming alliances with the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal despite Jinnah's opposition to both parties. Sir Sikander remained the most popular and influential politician in Punjab during his lifetime, preventing both Jinnah and Sir Muhammad Iqbal from gaining the support of a majority of Punjabi Muslims.

1940s

The Unionists grew closer to the All India Muslim League in the late 1930s. Sir Sikander was one of the movers of the Pakistan Resolution that was passed in Lahore, calling for a separate Muslim state. But Sir Sikander formed an alliance with the Akali Dal to govern the province. After Sir Sikander's death in 1942, his position was taken over by his nephew Sir Khizr Hyat Khan. But the latter would not match Sir Sikander's popularity and consequently the popularity of Jinnah and his influence in Punjabi politics increased. Although Sir Khizr supported the demand for Pakistan, the Unionists formed an alliance with the Congress and the Akali Dal to rule Punjab in 1946, even though the Congress and the League were hostile to each other on the national stage.

Decline

As the demand for Pakistan grew more intense, political loyalties in the Punjab were reshaped on religious lines. The Direct Action Day campaign brought the downfall of Sir Khizr's ministry, which depended on Congress and Akali support. Intense communal violence claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, destroying inter-community relations. In early 1947, Punjab was partitioned into Muslim-majority West Punjab and Hindu/Sikh-majority East Punjab. The Unionist party's diverse organisation was destroyed, with Muslim Unionists integrating themselves into the Muslim League. The party would cease to exist in independent Pakistan.

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References

* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/29/stories/2002012900030800.htm Punjab puzzle]