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Muslim League 1906: Foundation | ISC Class 11 History

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HistoryISC Class 11 · Growth of Nationalism

Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League (ISC Class 11 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The All India Muslim League was founded at Dacca on 30 December 1906, after the Simla Deputation of 1 October 1906 asked Viceroy Minto for separate electorates. Its stated aims were loyalty to the British government, protection of Muslim political rights and avoiding hostility to other communities; at first it was an elite loyalist body.

Follow the arrows: three worries led to the Simla Deputation (1 Oct 1906), then the League's founding (30 Dec 1906) and its three aims.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League

Background. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's Aligarh movement (Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, 1875) promoted modern education and loyalty to the British, and kept Muslims from the Congress, arguing that representative politics meant Hindu majority rule. Muslims had fallen behind in modern education and government jobs. As councils expanded, leaders feared being outnumbered in joint electorates. The partition of Bengal created a Muslim-majority province, and the agitation against it made some Muslim leaders feel they needed a body of their own. Some religious symbols in nationalism (Ganapati and Shivaji festivals, cow-protection societies) and the Hindi-Urdu controversy of 1900 in the United Provinces worried some Muslims. Officials encouraged loyal Muslim politics as a counterweight to the Congress.

Simla Deputation (1 October 1906). Muslim notables led by the Aga Khan met Viceroy Lord Minto, asked for separate electorates and representation beyond their numbers, and got a sympathetic reply.

Foundation. The All India Muslim League was founded at Dacca on 30 December 1906, at a meeting held during the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, on a proposal by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca; the Aga Khan became its president.

Objectives (Dacca resolution). (1) To promote among Muslims feelings of loyalty to the British government and remove misconceptions about its intentions. (2) To protect and advance the political rights and interests of Muslims and represent their needs respectfully to the government. (3) To prevent hostility towards other communities among Muslims, without prejudice to the above objects. Immediate demands: separate electorates and weightage.

Significance. The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 granted separate electorates, giving Muslim politics a permanent separate base. The League began as an elite body of landlords, nawabs and professionals, not anti-colonial. Its aims changed later: in 1913 it accepted self-government suited to India and in 1916 it signed the Lucknow Pact with the Congress. Historians differ on how far British encouragement and Muslim initiative each shaped these events.

Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League: key facts

Key dates
1875Aligarh college
1 October 1906Simla Deputation
30 December 1906League founded at Dacca
People
  • Aga Khan: deputation leader and first president
  • Nawab Salimullah: proposer
  • Viceroy Lord Minto
Objectives
  • Loyalty to the government
  • Protect Muslim political rights
  • Avoid hostility to other communities
Outcomes
1909Morley-Minto Reforms, separate electorates
1913self-government aim
1916Lucknow Pact

How to answer Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League questions

Expect 4-mark circumstances and objectives questions and an 8-mark evaluation of the League's early character.

  1. 1List circumstances in numbered points with dates.
  2. 2Name the Simla Deputation and its demands.
  3. 3State the three objectives in order.
  4. 4Add significance and give a balanced judgement.

Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Reading a petition

Suppose a group of community leaders meets an official and asks that their community have its own electoral seats and more seats than its population share.

Which 1906 demands does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Separate electorates and weightage were the Simla Deputation demands.
  2. Minto replied sympathetically.

Answer: Separate electorates and weightage.

Memory hook: Own seats, extra seats.

Founding meeting

Suppose a new association is formed at the end of a large educational conference.

Name the 1906 equivalent and its place.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The All India Muslim League was founded at Dacca.
  2. It met during the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference on 30 December 1906.

Answer: The Muslim League at Dacca, 30 December 1906.

Memory hook: Conference, then a party.

Tricks to remember Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Simla then Dacca

    1 October Simla Deputation, 30 December Dacca League.

    Use it when: Order of events.

  • LPA

    Loyalty, Protect rights, Avoid hostility: the three aims.

    Use it when: Objectives.

Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Deputation leader · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Who led the Simla Deputation to Lord Minto in 1906?
(a) Nawab Salimullah
(b) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
(c) The Aga Khan
(d) Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. First president of the League.

Answer: (c) The Aga Khan.

Example 2: League founding · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

State when, where and on whose proposal the Muslim League was founded and who became its president.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 30 December 1906 at Dacca.
  2. On a proposal by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca.
  3. The Aga Khan became president.

Answer: 30 December 1906, Dacca; Nawab Salimullah; Aga Khan.

Example 3: Circumstances · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain four circumstances leading to the foundation of the Muslim League.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Muslim educational and job backwardness after Sir Syed's movement.
  2. Fear of being outnumbered in joint electorates as councils expanded.
  3. The partition of Bengal and the movement against it.
  4. British encouragement and the Simla Deputation of 1906.

Answer: Backwardness, fear of majority, partition of Bengal and British encouragement.

Example 4: Objectives · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

State the objectives of the Muslim League as declared at Dacca and explain what each shows about its character.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Loyalty to the British government.
  2. Protect and advance Muslim political rights and interests.
  3. Avoid hostility towards other communities.
  4. Together they show an elite loyalist body, not an anti-colonial one.

Answer: Loyalty, protection of rights and communal harmony; an elite loyalist body at birth.

Example 5: Evaluation · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case: A historian says the League at its birth was a loyalist, elite body encouraged by officials. (a) Give two points that support this. (b) Give one point that shows it changed later. (c) Name the 1909 reform that gave Muslim politics a separate base.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Its first aim was loyalty to the British government; it began among landlords, nawabs and professionals; officials encouraged it as a counterweight to Congress.
  2. (b) In 1913 it accepted self-government suited to India; in 1916 it signed the Lucknow Pact.
  3. (c) The Morley-Minto Reforms granted separate electorates.

Answer: (a) Loyalty aim and elite membership (b) 1913 and 1916 changes (c) Morley-Minto Reforms.

Where students lose marks in Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Mixing the Simla Deputation and the founding

    Dates are swapped.

    Wrong working

    League founded in October

    Right working

    Deputation in October; League in December

    Do this: Simla Deputation 1 October 1906; League 30 December 1906.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Listing only demands, not objectives

    Resolution of Dacca is not given.

    Do this: State the three objectives.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: One-sided judgement

    Either blames or praises one side.

    Do this: Attribute positions and note differing historians.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Give both 1906 dates.
  • Learn the three objectives in order.
  • Attribute views to historians.
  • Mention weightage with separate electorates.

Practice questions on Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Which body was founded on 30 December 1906?
    (a) Indian National Congress
    (b) Muslim League
    (c) Anushilan Samiti
    (d) Brahmo Samaj

    Hint

    Dacca.

    Answer

    (b) Muslim League.

  2. Q2 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Explain the role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in shaping Muslim politics before 1906.

    Hint

    Aligarh, education, loyalty.

    Answer

    He founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875 to promote modern education and loyalty to the British, and advised Muslims to stay away from the Congress, fearing Hindu majority rule in representative politics.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    State the immediate demands of the Simla Deputation and the viceroy's response.

    Hint

    Separate electorates and weightage.

    Answer

    It asked for separate electorates and representation beyond the Muslim share of the population (weightage); Lord Minto gave a sympathetic reply.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Show how the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 affected the League's position.

    Hint

    Separate electorates.

    Answer

    The reforms granted separate electorates, giving Muslim politics a permanent separate base and meeting the League's main demand.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Assertion-reasonHOTS / competency

    Assertion (A): The League was at first not an anti-colonial organisation.
    Reason (R): Its first objective was to promote loyalty to the British government.
    (a) Both true and R explains A
    (b) Both true but R does not explain A
    (c) A true, R false
    (d) A false, R true

    Hint

    Look at the objectives.

    Answer

    (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who proposed the League?Show answer

    Nawab Salimullah.

  2. 2.Where was the League founded?Show answer

    Dacca.

  3. 3.First president?Show answer

    The Aga Khan.

  4. 4.Viceroy in 1906?Show answer

    Lord Minto.

  5. 5.Pact of 1916?Show answer

    Lucknow Pact.

Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League: frequently asked questions

Was the League anti-British at birth?

No, its first aim was loyalty.

What is weightage?

Representation beyond a community's population share.

What did Sir Syed advise Muslims?

Education and loyalty, and to stay away from the Congress.