 The area constituting Pakistan was historically a part of the British Indian Empire throughout much of the nineteenth century . The East India Company begun their trade in South Asia in the 17th century , and the company rule started from 1757 when they won the Battle of Plassey . Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control over much of the Indian subcontinent . All @-@ India Muslim League was founded by the All India <unk> Educational Conference at Dhaka , in 1906 , in the context of the circumstances that were generated over the division of Bengal in 1905 and the party aimed at creation of a separate Muslim state . 
