ABSTRACT
By the mid-1950s, Muslim Nationalism that led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947 had been severely put to test by nationalistic claims by Pakistan's diverse ethnic groups. This chapter follows Sajjad Zaheer's career in Pakistan to focus on specific events in the early years of Pakistan's existence as they pertain to the communist movement in Pakistan's Punjab. It discusses Communist Party of India (CPI)'s argument on the Muslim question as it evolved during the 1940s and then briefly give an overview of CPI's coalition with the Muslim League during the 1945-1946 elections. The chapter links itself to a recuperative history of various struggles and political aspirations of Pakistani people and challenges the pre-dominant representation of Pakistan in academic writings, such as the continuous discussions on South Asian Muslim nationalism linked to Islam and Urdu language.
