The main cultural characteristic that underlay the separation of British India into Pakistan and India after independence was religious difference. The majority of the population in India was Hindu, while the majority of the population in areas that became Pakistan was Muslim. The idea of a separate Muslim state had been proposed by the All India Muslim League in the 1940s, and it gained momentum as tensions between Hindus and Muslims increased in the lead-up to independence. The Muslim League argued that Muslims would be better served by a separate state where they could practice their religion freely and have greater political representation. This led to the partition of India in 1947, with the creation of the Muslim-majority state of Pakistan and the Hindu-majority state of India. The partition was accompanied by widespread violence and displacement, with millions of people uprooted from their homes and communities as they moved to the new countries that had been created. The legacy of partition and the religious division that underlay it continue to shape the politics and culture of India and Pakistan today.