Party in 1920, Jinnah opposed Gandhi's boycotts of British institutions in India. He also disliked Gandhi's Hindu approach to politics, which did not take proper consideration of minorities, particularly Muslims. These factors led to Jinnah's support of a separate state for Muslims, which was facilitated under the leadership of the Muslim League.

Though Jinnah remained a vocal supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity around this time, he withdrew from the Congress Party. Initially reluctant to form a separate state for Muslims, and opposed at first by both the Congress Party and the British government, both of whom found the idea of partition ridiculous, Jinnah forged ahead to help create Pakistan. He is regarded as "the father of Pakistan."

The creation of the new state was not peaceful and resulted in notoriously tragic religious massacres, during which Hindus and Sikhs fleeing from Pakistan to India were murdered by Muslims, and Muslims leaving India for Pakistan were killed by Hindus. The history of violence between India and Pakistan has fueled lingering resentment between the countries, which persists to date. It has inspired the conflict over Kashmir, a territory in the Himalayas, and threats of nuclear war between the countries.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–98) was instrumental in the formation of the All-India Muslim League (AIML), popularly known as the Muslim League. This became important as people in India rose up to end British colonial rule. Many Indian Muslims were concerned that freedom from the British colonial powers would not benefit Muslims if the result was ending up a minority in a Hindu-controlled India. Thus the Muslim League advocated for a two-state solution, partitioning India into a Hindu state (modern India) and a Muslim one (modern Pakistan), an aim that became reality in the partition of 1946.

The Muslim League played an important role in the negotiations surrounding partition. Once Pakistan was born as an independent nation, the Pakistan Muslim League became a major political force in Pakistan, and is still one of the major political parties.

The Muslim League, formed in 1906, was founded in the context of an emerging Indian nationalist movement that was dominated by Hindu intellectuals. The purpose of the league was to promote Muslim interests and civil rights in the movement. As it became evident that limited self-government would eventually lead to Indian independence, the Muslim League represented the interests of Muslims in the Indian National Congress. The leader of the Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, endeavored to create a two-state proposal for the subcontinent, and persuaded the British authorities that such a solution was viable after negotiations for a single-state solution broke down. When the British finally left the subcontinent, they did so under the understanding that Jinnah would govern a separate Pakistan, which he did beginning in 1947. The Muslim League thus helped to provide a foundation for protecting Muslim interests once independence was achieved. It should be noted, however, that neither Muslim nor Hindu leaders were able to control the actions of radicals who slaughtered opposing groups in disputed areas throughout the subcontinent, and hundreds of thousands of Muslim and Hindu Indians lost their lives in the process.

The Muslim League played a key role in the creation of two states—Pakistan and India—in 1947, in the former British India.

The Muslim League was founded in 1906. Its goal was to protect the rights of Muslims in British India. At first, the British welcomed its creation, but in 1913, the League proclaimed that it wanted self-government. For the first few decades of its existence, the League wanted Muslims and Hindus to live together in one nation.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) was the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah grew up in Karachi. His affluent father sent him to study in London when he was a teenager. Jinnah studied law and became a superb and well-paid barrister. Jinnah was brilliant and eloquent. He joined the Muslim League in 1913, later becoming its permanent president and dominant leader.

The idea of an independent Pakistan began after 1930. Most Muslims thought an independent Muslim nation was necessary to avoid Hindu rule. In 1940, the Muslim League called for the creation of Pakistan. During World War II, there was momentum for the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah worked to achieve this goal, despite his poor health. His unfaltering devotion to this cause was crucial to its ultimate success. He died shortly after the birth of Pakistan. The Muslim League governed poorly and declined in influence in subsequent years.