- By Shivam Shandilya
- Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Independence Day Special: India will be celebrating its 77th Independence Day on Thursday and preparations for the customary celebrations are in full swing. Not only India, but its neighbour Pakistan will also be celebrating its 77th Independence Day on Wednesday (August 14), when the Muslim-majority nation got separated from India. The partition was enacted by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, which led to the end of the British Raj in the subcontinent after over 200 years. But, did you know why the Indian subcontinent was divided into two nations just ahead of the Britishers signing off?
Let's delve into the dynamics of the 1947 partition and what circumstances led to the formation of the two nations.
Independence Day 2024: The Need For Partition
In the two-nation theory, the idea echoed for the first time that the Muslims in the subcontinent needed a separate nation as their aspirations would be crushed in a Hindu-dominated India. The term Pakistan was coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in 1933. Later, the term was taken up by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who became a fierce fighter for the creation of a separate nation for Muslims, Pakistan.
Both the Muslim League and Indian National Congress (INC) were unable to come to an agreement on how to go about the independence. The Muslim League wanted a separate homeland, but, the INC was opposed to the idea of partitioning the country. Violence broke out in several parts of Bengal, Bihar, and Punjab, among others and large-scale killings were reported from across the subcontinent. To stop this tide, the Congress, headed by Valabhbhai Patel on this issue, approved the partition plan. During the partition, the riots were rampant to the extent that no one predicted them on such a scale.
The demarcation that created two separate dominions was entrusted to Sir Cyril Radcliffe. He divided the roughly 450000 sq. km of territory between the two dominions. The international boundary between India and Pakistan is known as the Radcliffe Line even today.
Independence Day 2024: Post-Partition Consequences
Since Independence, both India and Pakistan have repeatedly fought over the issue of the province of Kashmir. They have fought two wars over it, in 1947–1948 and 1965. Besides these wars, several news reports over the tussle from the border often make it to news headlines.
Independence Day 2024: The Punjab Partition Committee
In June 1947, a committee known as the Punjab Partition Committee was formed by Governor-General Jenkins in close consultation with Lord Mountbatten and others. The main purpose of this committee was the division of the forces, the division of senior administrative services and the division of office equipment. One of the biggest issues before the committee was the division of the defence forces.
Two-thirds of the force remained in India, while the other one-third was sent to Pakistan. According to Firstpost quoting reports, around 2,60,000 men remained in the Indian Defence Forces; they were mostly Hindus and Sikhs. On the other hand, around 140,000 men went to the Pakistan army, most of them being Muslims. The Brigade of Gurkhas was split between India and Britain. However, it did not turn out to be a smooth process.
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Finance was also one of the big challenges for India. According to the agreement, Pakistan received 17.5 per cent of the assets and liabilities of British India. It was also decided that the same central bank would serve both India and Pakistan for over a year. However, the divide was hastened when ties between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Pakistani government deteriorated. Besides major division, other assets were also divided in the ratio of 80–20, and it included office furniture, stationery items, and even lightbulbs.