 By 1940 , Jinnah had come to believe that Indian Muslims should have their own state . In that year , the Muslim League , led by Jinnah , passed the Lahore Resolution , demanding a separate nation . During the Second World War , the League gained strength while leaders of the Congress were imprisoned , and in the elections held shortly after the war , it won most of the seats reserved for Muslims . Ultimately , the Congress and the Muslim League could not reach a power @-@ sharing formula for a united India , leading all parties to agree to separate independence of a predominantly Hindu India , and for a Muslim @-@ majority state , to be called Pakistan . 
