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Craig White's Literature Courses Historical Backgrounds Partition of India
+ Independence, Nationhood of |
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The decolonization or independence of India and Pakistan from the British Empire occurred simultaneously with these nations' division from each other according to the Mountbatten Plan of 1947.
Pakistan was
founded as a homeland for Muslims.
India was
founded as a secular nation, but its large Hindu majority and Hindu
fundamentalist movements frightened
In the weeks before and after official partition and independence date of 15 August 1947, approximately 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was relative safety with their religious majority.
Based on 1951 Census of displaced persons, . . .
7,226,000 Muslims
moved to Pakistan
from India.
7,249,000 Hindus and Sikhs moved
to India from Pakistan.
Estimates of the number of deaths associated with violence and deprivation from the Partition range from 200,000 to one million, thus app. 500,000 deaths. (cf. US Civil War app. 800,000 deaths)
Regions most devastated by partition:
Punjab region in Northwest, the "breadbasket of India" where Train
to Pakistan takes place. Punjab, home to a large Sikh population, was
divided between Pakistan and India, with most Sikhs choosing to live in India.
Bengal region near Southeast coast, great cultural center and port
where the East India company first began colonizing, divides to West Bengal
state of India and East Bengal, which becomes East Pakistan (1947) and
Bangladesh (1971).
Below: Map of partitioned India, with Bengal at right
divided to West Bengal
and East Bengal
(East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1947 and Bangladesh in
1971)
Below: close up of Bengal partition of 1947
