The All-India Muslim League (; popularised as Muslim League) was a historic political party established in the early years of the 20th century in the British Indian Empire. Its strong advocacy for the establishment of a separate Muslim-majority nation-state, Pakistan, successfully led to the partition of India in 1947 by the British Empire. Early genesis of the party are founded as an aftermath of literary movement led by Syed Ahmad Khan, who also helped in founding the party. In 1906, the party was officially found at the educational conference held in Dhaka to protest against the integration of Bengal in 1905. Its original political goal was to define and advance the Indian Muslim’s civil rights and to provide protection to upper and gentry class of Indian Muslims. From 1906–30s, the party worked on its organizational structure, its credibility in all over the Muslim communities of British Indian Empire, and lacked as a mass organisation but represented the landed and commercial Muslim interests of the United Provinces (today’s Uttar Pradesh). Following in the 1930s, the idea of separate nation-state and influential philosopher Sir Iqbal’s vision of uniting the four provinces in North-West British India further support the rational of Two-nation theory. Constitutional struggle of Jinnah and political struggle of founding fathers, the Muslim League played a decisive role in the World War II in 1940s and as the driving force behind the division of India along religious lines and the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state in 1947. The events leading the World War II, the Congress effective protest against the United Kingdom unilaterally involving India in the war without consulting with the Indian people; the Muslim League went on to support the British war efforts, and later agitated against the Congress with the cry of “Islam in Danger”. After the partition and subsequent establishment of Pakistan, the Muslim League continued as a minor party in India where it was often part of the government. In Bangladesh, the Muslim League was revived in 1976 but it was reduced, rendering it insignificant in the political arena. In Pakistan, the Muslim League became the original successor of the All-India Muslim League, led by the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah (and after Jinnah’s death by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan), but suffered with ill-fate following the military intervention in 1958. One of its faction remained to supportive of President Ayub Khan until 1962 when the all factions decided to reform into the Pakistan Muslim League led by Nurul Amin supporting Fatima Jinnah in the presidential elections in 1965. Furthermore, it was the only party to have receives votes from both East and West Pakistan during the elections held in 1970. During the successive periods of Pakistan, the Muslim League continued to be a ruling party in the different periods of Pakistan. Since 1985, the Pakistan Muslim League split into various factions; all factions which had little ideological connection with the original Muslim League. However, the PML(N) remains to be influential faction than others, and has been in power during the elections held in 1990 and in the 1997. As of current of 2013 elections, the PML(N) remains to be a ruling party of Pakistan.
