14 Points of Jinnah

In the All parties meeting at Calcutta in December 1928, Jinnah moved certain amendments to the Nehru Report. But these amendments were not accepted by Congress. So Jinnah et al refused to participate further in the conference.

A few days later, there was a Muslim All Parties conference was held in Delhi, in which the nationalist Muslims attended and formulated a series of demands on behalf of the Muslims of the Country. In this All Muslim Parties conference, it was made clear that no constitution, by whomsoever proposed or devised, would be acceptable to the Muslims of the country, unless it conformed with those demands. At the same time Jinnah after consulting the Muslim leaders formulated the “Fourteen Points” for safeguarding the rights and interests of the Muslims in any future constitution of the country. Here are these 14 points:

1. The form of the future constitution should be Federal, with the residuary power vested in the provinces.
2. A Uniform measure of the autonomy shall be granted to all provinces.
3. All legislatures in the country and other elected bodies shall be constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective representation of minorities in every province without reducing the majority in any province to minority or even equality.
4. In the Central legislature Muslim representation shall not be less than one third.
5. Representation of the communal groups shall continueto be by separate electorates provided that it shall be open to any community at any time to abandon its separate electorate in favor of the joint electorates.
6. Any terrestrial redistribution that might at any time be necessary shall not in any way affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal and NWF Province.
7. Full religious liberty that is liberty of belief, worship and observance, propaganda, association and education shall be guaranteed to all communities.
8. No bill or resolution or any part thereof shall be passed in any legislature or any other elected body if three fourth of the membersof any community in that particular body oppose it being injurious to that of the community.
9. Sind should be separated from the Bombay Presidency.
10. Reforms should be made in the NWF Province and Baluchistan.
11. Provision should be made in the Constitution giving Muslims an adequate share along with the other Indians in all the services of the State and Local self Governing bodies having due regard to the requirements of efficiency.
12. The Constitution should embody adequate safeguards to the protection of the Muslim Culture, education, language, religion, personal laws, and Muslim charitable institutions. They should get their due share in grant-in-aid.
13. No cabinet, either central or provincial, should be formed without there being at least one third of the Muslim Ministers.
14. No change shall be made in the constitution by the Central legislature except with the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian Federation.