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Table of Contents
Following the end of the British rule over the Indian subcontinent — dubbed as British Raj — the year 1947 saw the division of British India into two self-governing countries, namely India and Pakistan. Eventually known as the Partition of India, this split was deeply rooted in the religious tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities in the region. In consequence, India became a predominantly Hindu country, while Pakistan became predominantly Muslim.
See the fact file below for more information on the Partition of India or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Partition of India worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
GREAT DIVIDE
- In 1945, following the end of the Second World War and the election of Great Britain’s Labor Party, British and Indian leaders resumed talks on independence.
- The leaders of the Indian National Congress, along with Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, campaigned for a non-religious country that aims to guarantee the rights of all Indians, whether Hindus or Muslims, through constitutional protection and democratic practice.
- However, the Muslim League, led by its spokesperson Muhammad Ali Jinnah (b. Mahomedali Jinnahbhai), pushed for a partition and an independent Pakistan.
- Consequently, massive riots between Hindu and Muslim communities had built up, resulting in a historical division of the Indian subcontinent into two countries — namely India and Pakistan — immediately after both nations gained independence from the British Empire on 15 August 1947.
- Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a lawyer and former director-general of the British Ministry of Information, was the one tasked to oversee the partition. Having no formal training in cartography and demographics, Radcliffe was deliberately chosen for the job for his supposed impartiality since he had limited knowledge about India.
- From 1889 to 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru served as the Prime Minister of India. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, on the other hand, became the first Governor-General and Quaid-e-Azam (the Great Leader) of Pakistan, serving from 1875 to 1948.
- Due to the partition, India and Pakistan became the world’s second and sixth most populated countries at the time, respectively.
- To set itself apart from India, Pakistan — the world’s largest Muslim nation in 1947 — changed its time zone with a 30-minute difference.
- Before the separation, the Indian subcontinent was composed of about 66 per cent Hindu and 24 per cent Muslim.
EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN
- During the campaign for India’s partition, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League originally desired the entire Bengal province, but later settled for an independent Pakistan, including East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh).
- On 3 June 1947, the division was proclaimed, but the territorial boundaries remained unclear. As a result, Indians and the leaders of 600 native states needed to vote on whether to remain in India or leave for Pakistan.
- Balochistan, along with the northwestern frontier provinces and the northern small kingdoms agreed to be in Pakistan. However, Kashmir’s Hindu ruler refused, causing tensions there. Other princely and tribal states in the far west also decided to join Pakistan.
- Two territories originally divided Pakistan, namely East and West Pakistan. Separated by more than 1,600 kilometres, the two nations had language differences brought about by diverse ethnicities and traditions, even though they shared common religious roots.
- East Pakistanis were known to be more sentimental, poetic, kind, and proud of their heritage. On the other hand, the Bengalis of West Pakistan were generally described as taller, fairer-skinned, more British, and harsher than their eastern counterparts.
- The territorial makeup of East Pakistan included half of Bengal and other districts of Assam. It had a population of about 42 million people, nearly nine million of whom were Hindus. Meanwhile, West Pakistan consisted of Sindh, the northwestern frontier provinces, and the western half of Punjab. It had a population of about 34 million people.
- While West Pakistan was about seven times the size of its eastern counterpart in terms of territory, East Pakistan had 55 per cent of the population and was economically more valuable.
RESULTS OF THE PARTITION
- One of the most enduring outcomes of the Indian partition was its record-breaking human migration. About 12 to 15 million Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs needed to cross borders to live among people of the same religious orientation. Other accounts estimated that the partition resulted in 24 million refugees.
- Since both areas had been separated evenly between India and Pakistan, Punjab in the west and Bengal in the east tallied the largest of these migrations.
- Indian people with other religious beliefs, including Christians, Parsis, Buddhists, and Jews generally remained in their homelands.
- Moreover, violence took place along the territorial boundaries, with about one million casualties. Punjab, which had been divided between its two largest cities, namely Lahore and Amritsar, also suffered so much violence.
- Mahatma Gandhi, who rejected the Indian division and campaigned to end the hatred among Hindus and Muslims, was also killed by a Hindu extremist five months after the partition had been declared.
- Some refugees lived in vacated homes of other Indians who were forced to migrate. A number of Muslims ended up in the city of Karachi, while some Hindus stayed in the cities of Calcutta, Delhi, and Bombay.
- Due to the sudden influx of people in Delhi, particularly Punjab migrants who occupied homes previously owned by Muslims and other refugees establishing tent communities in the outskirts of the city, the population quickly doubled to one million.
- Furthermore, when Sikh Pakistanis reached India, they suffered cholera which was untreatable at the time, leading to massive deaths.
- From 1947 until 1949, India and Pakistan engaged in the first of three wars over the control of the northernmost region of the subcontinent, Kashmir. The second encounter took place in 1965 when India launched an attack on Lahore. Finally, the third part occurred in 1971.
Partition of India Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Partition of India across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Partition of India worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Partition of India. Following the end of the British rule over the Indian subcontinent — dubbed as British Raj — the year 1947 saw the division of British India into two self-governing countries, namely India and Pakistan. Eventually known as the Partition of India, this split was deeply rooted in the religious tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities in the region. In consequence, India became a predominantly Hindu country, while Pakistan became predominantly Muslim.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Partition of India Facts
- Find the Words
- Fact or Bluff
- Locate the Places
- Prior to the Partition
- The Great Divide
- Notable People
- Challenges Faced
- The Result of the Partition
- Partition of India: My Two Cents
- In a Nutshell
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