Partition of India and Pakistan

THE PARTITION OF INDIA, 1947

On the 14 August 1947, the new Islamic Republic of Pakistan was formed. At midnight the next day India won its freedom from colonial rule, ending nearly 350 years of British presence in India. The British left India divided in two. The two countries were founded on the basis of religion, with Pakistan as an Islamic state and India as a secular one. The partition split the Indian subcontinent in 2 well 3 really counting what is now Bangladesh on religious lines.

The bare details of 1947 and its legacy are blunt. The territorial partition that created modern India and Pakistan involved the internal division of Punjab and Bengal provinces, which - in unimaginable conditions of collapse of authority, flight, and massacre - resulted in the forced movement of 20 million people (Hindus and Sikhs to India and Muslims to Pakistan) and approximately 1.5 million deaths.

Muslims in India under British rule did not want to be part of a Hindu dominated India after Independence. To cut a very long story short they concluded that the North West part of India where Muslims were the majority would become a separate country (along with the area that is now Bangladesh) this country became Pakistan. Muslims in India were worried that an undivided independent India would be dominated by Hindus, and in effect the British Raj/Rule would be replaced with a Hindu Raj, under which the situation of India 's Muslims would be no different. They therefore agitated for a separate Muslim state if British India was to be made independent.
The British agreed, and thus partitioned India into 2 independent states, India (majority Hindu) and Pakistan (majority Muslim) in 1947.

The Northern part of India under the British was mainly Muslim, while the south was mainly Hindu. There was ongoing tension and conflict between the two groups, so the country split geographically into (East and West) Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu) and now minority Hindus and Muslims immigrated to the other country. Just like my grandfather’s family. After the split was made his home was still located on the Muslim side, which forced his father to sneak them out in the middle of the night due to the danger. Later East and West Pakistan split into what is now Bangladesh and Pakistan. They split up due to cultural differences.

At the time, millions of people died and/or were uprooted and had to leave their homes and move hundreds of miles away; and because now, the resulting divisions and enmities have resulted in, among other things, a nuclear arms race that threatens the survival of the whole world. These clashes, riots and discrimination against Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh and Muslims in India are obviously a result of the partition.

The major impact of the partition was the relations between Hindus and Muslims in South Asia. Pakistan (i.e. Pakistan and Bangladesh) had more than 25% Hindus before 1947 which reduced to 10% in 1951 as a result of the partition. Pakistan (West Pakistan) had 6% and Bangladesh (East Pakistan) 15%. This is now further reduced to 1.5% in Pakistan and 9% in Bangladesh today. This shows a great animosity that Muslims had in Pakistan towards Hindus and a lot of persecution against them particularly after it became an Islamic country in 1956.

Muslims populated 25% of India at the time, reduced to 11% in 1951 as a result of the Partition. Although, it is more than 13% today, the Hindus and Muslims have had clashes with each other in 1991/92 and 2002 and other minor ones. But, there is a deep distrust on Muslims as they are still seen as a community that divided India.

The partition created two independent states known as India and Pakistan today. At the time it was all known as India. It led to one of the most violent, cruel and bloody migrations and ethnic cleansings of all time. Nearly 2 million Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were killed, 75,000 women were raped, and an estimated 12-15 million people were forcibly transferred between the two countries. The two sides, Muslims and Hindus, were in constant conflict as I stated earlier. On the 16th of august 1946, almost a year from the day of the partition, ferociousness severely broke out between the two groups. Hotheads dispatched by the Muslim league chief minister of Bengal, Hussain Shaheed, initiated communal massacres, which took place in Calcutta. Thousands of people, mostly Hindus, were left dead or homeless. The Hindus obviously retaliated which left more Muslims dead. Most of the serious strife began at that point.

Whether the partition of these countries was sensible and whether it was done too soon is still under debate. Even the imposition of an official boundary has not stopped conflict between them. Boundary issues, left unsettled by the British, have caused two wars and continuing friction between India and Pakistan.

WORKS CITED

Ahmed, Ishtiaq. "The 1947 Partition Of India: A Paradigm For Pathological Politics In India And Pakistan." Asian Ethnicity 3.1 (2002): 9-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.

G. Coffin, Judith, and Robert C. Stacey. Western Civilizations. 2nd brief Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2009. 779. Print.

INTERVIEW

How old were you during the separation?

It was 1947 and I was only 10 years old.

What do you remember about the separation?

There was a lot of tension between the Muslims and the Hindus at the time. The Northern part of India under the British was mainly Muslim, while the south was mainly Hindu. There was ongoing tension and conflict between the two groups, so the country split.

When the separation happened, on the 14th of August, my home was still on the Muslim side. I remember there being riots each and every day. Being a Hindu it was extremely dangerous for my family and me at the time. My brother was stabbed and killed during the war. My father was a very brave man. He did everything to keep my family and me safe.

When did your family finally get out of Pakistan?

One night my father decided to sneak me and one of my brothers out of the house to go live with his sister who was already on the Hindu side (India). He then returned a couple of days later and did the same with my mother and my sisters. If it wasn’t for my father I wouldn’t have met my wife and you would not be here today.

What happened with your home?

We completely abandoned the house. Everything was left behind besides the necessities. It obviously wasn’t easy but it was the best for the family.

Why did you decide to move to Canada? Did it have anything to do with the separation?

No, I moved to Canada when I was 33, almost 20 years later. It had nothing to do with the separation but had to do with the fact that the country wasn’t economically stable. I wanted the best for your mother and our family and it paid off.

Cited: Ahmed, Ishtiaq. "The 1947 Partition Of India: A Paradigm For Pathological Politics In India And Pakistan." Asian Ethnicity 3.1 (2002): 9-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. G. Coffin, Judith, and Robert C. Stacey. Western Civilizations. 2nd brief Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2009. 779. Print.