LAHORE: Punjab University Pakistan Study Centre organized a seminar titled 'Rethinking Partition: Jinnah, Mountbatten and the Implementation of the 3rd June Plan' as part of activities marking the 150th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The event featured prominent historians, faculty members, and students. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Chawla delivered the keynote address, critically examining the 3rd June Plan.

According to University of the Punjab, Prof. Dr. Chawla argued that the plan was not a predetermined territorial blueprint for Pakistan but rather a constitutional framework for implementing Partition. He highlighted that the final shape of Pakistan emerged through provincial decisions, referendums, boundary proceedings, negotiations, and administrative arrangements. Dr. Chawla emphasized Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's political leadership and his acceptance of the plan as a constitutional mechanism while noting that questions about Pakistan's territorial and administrative viability remained contested.

Dr. Chawla elaborated on the complexities of Pakistan's territorial formation, with particular attention to Punjab and Bengal due to their political and territorial divisions. He discussed the multi-stage nature of this formation, including the role of provincial assemblies and boundary commissions. The seminar also addressed issues concerning princely states and subsequent matters involving Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Junagadh. Prof. Dr. Amjad Abbas Khan Magsi praised the scholarly contribution and reiterated the Centre's commitment to promoting evidence-based scholarship on Pakistan's history.