4. The Partition Plan.pptx

The Partition Plan Partition Plan of 3 June 1947 It was announced simultaneously in the house of Lords, the House of Commons and at the viceregal house in New Delhi. Also known as the Mountbatten Plan, since it was announced by Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India.  Provision...

The Partition Plan Partition Plan of 3 June 1947 It was announced simultaneously in the house of Lords, the House of Commons and at the viceregal house in New Delhi. Also known as the Mountbatten Plan, since it was announced by Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India.  Provisions of the Partition Plan Under the plan, the British would transfer power to two successor authorities, i.e., the Congress and the Muslim league. In territorial terms, the dominions of India and Pakistan. Both successor states will remain a part of the British Commonwealth. The states will be given the option of joining either India or Pakistan, with the exception of Bengal, Punjab and Assam, which were to be partitioned. Princely states may choose to remain independent or join either India or Pakistan. A decision was taken to hold a referendum in the North West Frontier Province to ascertain whether its people favored joining India or Pakistan. The Muslim majority district of Sylhet in Assam was to decide by referendum whether it was to join East Pakistan or to remain in Assam. The Government of India Act (1935) will provide provisional guidance to the two successor nations and may be adopted by them until a time they are able to formulate their own constitutions. How did the Muslim League and Congress react to the Partiton Plan of June 3rd, 1947? Reaction of the Congress Party It had made known its acceptance of the plan by demanding for the partitioning of the states of Bengal and Punjab. They were the first to accept the plan. Later, Congress demanded that North West Frontier Province should be allowed the option of independence, which was denied on the reasoning that Bengal and Punjab had been denied that option. Reaction to the Partition Plan (Cont’d) Reaction of the All- India Muslim League (AIML) The AIML was reluctant to accept the plan, since partitioning of Bengal and Punjab were not acceptable to them. Although, Mr. Jinnah had given a nod of approval, the matter was delayed until the AIML’s council met and took a decision. Meanwhile, Mountbatten wanted a firm decision, otherwise, there would be no Pakistan. Ultimately, the Muslim league had to accept the plan, although reluctantly. The AIML called the plan a compromised settlement. The British Parliament Approves the Indian Independence Act on July 18th, 1947 This was one of the final acts of the British parliament, approved for India. Afterwards and as a result of its passage, the constituent assemblies of both the dominions: India and Pakistan, were authorized to legislate their own laws (as they deemed it fit) and the post of Governor General, for each of the two dominions, was empowered to give his/her consent to any ordinary bill, on behalf of the Crown. (he/she became the constitutional head of the respective dominion). With the passage of the Act the paramountcy of the British Crown over the native states came to an end. This meant that all previous treaties and agreements between the Crown and the native States were to lapse on the date of the transference of power. The Act allowed for the division of the armed forces, stores, and other assets & liabilities between the two dominions. Both dominions were free to leave the commonwealth if they so desired. The Radcliffe Award The boundary commission, chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, was instructed to demarcate the boundaries of Punjab and Bengal, including the district of Sylhet in Assam, separating Muslim majority areas from non-Muslim ones. For the award to be given, two commissions, one each for the Punjab and Bengal, were setup, each headed by 4 persons of high judicial standing including two Congress and two All-India Muslim league members. Controversial decision of the Boundary Commission While dividing Punjab, Muslim majority districts of Gurdaspur, Ferozpur and Zira, were given to India. Similarly, the Karimganj sub-district was detached from Sylhet district and gifted to India. This proved to be a setback for Pakistan and a violation of the very basis of division. As a result, not only did West Pakistan not receive three additional Muslim majority districts at Punjab’s division, but additionally, it was deprived from controlling its three eastern rivers, i.e., Beas, Sutlej and Ravi. Much later, a World Bank sponsored treaty was negotiated between the two nations, specifying the rights & obligations of each country in sharing water from the Indus and its tributaries. Unfairness in Awarding Gurdaspur District Gurdaspur District had an overall Muslim Majority at the time partition plan was announced. According to the 1941 census of India, out of Gurdaspur’s 4 thesils, 3 had Muslim majorities, i.e., Batala (55%), Gurdaspur (52%), Shakargarh (51%), while 1 thesil had a large Muslim minority, i.e., Pathankot (40%). The Partition plan awarded only the Shakargarh tehsil to Pakistan. Reasons for Awarding most of Gurdaspur to India ❏ One reason is that the Pathankot tehsil of Gurdaspur had strategic importance to India. It provided an all-weather access to Srinagar (kashmir). ❏ Another reason is the location of the Madhopur headworks of the upper bari doab canal, which controlled the irrigation system of a vast area of Indian Punjab. ❏ A third reason was a fear expressed by the Sikh community, whose members lived in these three tehsils, fearing that their communities will be dispersed. Also, they were apprehensive of having Pakistan even closer to their sacred Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab (Now in India).  Map of East Punjab, India Reasons Why Ferozepur District Went with India The headworks of river beas, which later join river sutlej, flowing into Pakistan, are located in Ferozpur (Ferozepur H/W, shown in the map). Its control went with India. The Maharaja of Bikaner influenced this decision, since Ferozepur headworks supplied water to the princely state of Bikaner (now in Rajasthan, India). Why was Karimganj (a sub-division of Sylhet) gifted to India? Background The District of Sylhet, of which Karimganj was a sub-district, had voted in favor of joining East Pakistan, after its population’s will was ascertained through a referendum, held during July 1947. Against the Referendum results Karimganj goes to India Although the people had voted to join East Pakistan, Karimganj was separated from Sylhet, and gifted to India, although it had a majority of Muslims. The reason stated was that India needed to have improved connectivity with the state of Tripura.  Additional Readings 1. Kazimi, M.R.(2007). Chapter 22: The Partition Plan - 3 June 1947. Pg. 117- 119. 2. Kazimi, M.R. (2007). Chapter 23: The Radcliffe Award. Pg. 120-122. 3. For information about the NWF Province’s 1947 referendum please follow the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_North-West_Frontier_Province_referendum Thank you for following this lesson Have a wonderful day