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He completed his early studies in Lahore, and moved to the United Kingdom where he studied at Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge and the University of Dublin, earning MA and LLB degrees.
In the early 1930s, Ali began writing about the formation of a Muslim nation in India, and voiced his ideas in the pamphlet entitled "Now or Never; Are we to live or perish forever?". He also gave birth to the term "Pakistan" to refer to the Muslim homeland that he envisioned in Northern India, as well as "Bang-i-Islam" for a Muslim homeland in the Bengal, and "Usmanistsan" for a Muslim homeland in the Deccan.
Like Allama Iqbal, Ali believed that the Muslims of India had to undergo a reformation politically in order to remain a viable, and independent community there. Ali noted that Muhammad had suceeded in uniting fractured Arab tribes, and that this example was to again be used by Muslims of India to pool together in order to survive in what he perceived to be an increasingly hostile India.
As such, Choudhary Rahmat Ali's writings, in addition to those of Iqbal and others were major catalysts for the formation of Pakistan. Ali dedicated a lot of time and energy to the idea of Pakistan, and after its formation in 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na, he argued on its behalf at the United NationsFlag of the United Nations The United Nations or UN is an international organization made up of states. Almost all countries are members. It was established in San Francisco on October 24, 1945, following the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in Washington, DC, b over the issue of KashmirKashmir is a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term Kashmir historically described the valley just to the south of the westernmost end of the Himalayan range. Politically, however, the term 'Kashmir' describes a much larger area.
While Choudhary Rahmat Ali was a champion for the formation of Pakistan, he lived most of his adult life in the United Kingdom, and he died in 1953, buried at Cambridge.