In 1906 the Muslim League was formed. The lead in its formation was taken by the Agha Khan and Nawab Salimulla of Dacca. They were encouraged by Viceroy Minto.The Muslim League declared that its aims were to promote loyalty to the government ,to protect and advance the interests of Muslims and to ensure that Muslims did not develop feelings of hostility towards other communities in India. However in spite of the efforts of the British govt the Muslim masses were drawn into the nationalist movement.
The reason was the contempt that the Muslim felt for the British govt for waging war against the Sultan of Turkey who was regarded as the Caliph of the Muslim world. Two prominent Muslim leaders Maulana Mohammad Ali and Abul Kalam Azad carried on nationalist propaganda among the people and brought them into the struggle for freedom. The Muslim League itself was influenced by the spread of anti-imperialist ideas. In 1913 it adopted the attainment of self-govt as its aim.