Pakistan's independence a key moment in the end of the British Empire

On August 14 Pakistan will celebrate its 77th Independence Day, a day before India, with both countries marking freedom from 89 years of rule under the British Raj (1848-1947).

The campaign for Indian independence began with the Indian Mutiny in 1857-59, but grew in intensity following the Second World War.

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There were increasing calls for self-government to be introduced in return for the country’s wartime contributions in support of the British Empire and allies.

However, the Indian National Congress, mainly consisting of Hindus, and the Muslim League could not agree on the shape of the new state, leading to escalating violence between the communities and the threat of civil war.

Partition

In response, Britain decided that partition was the answer.

Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, announced that Britain had accepted that the country should be divided into predominantly Hindu India and mainly Muslim Pakistan.

However, it was not a simple process and led to many bitter disputes, violence and deaths.

The 1947 Indian Independence Act was passed on July 18 of that year, setting out that it would “make provision for the setting up in India of two independent Dominions”.

English barrister Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a man who had never even been to India, was given five weeks to decide on the boundary line between the two countries. It would later be known as the Radcliffe line.

The separation caused the biggest forced migration in history that was not caused by famine or war.

The Act repealed the use of the title "Emperor of India" under the British Crown.

It also ended all treaties with the Princely States of India, who were given the option to choose which country to join. Those states who chose a country at odds with their majority religion or failed to make a decision, such as Kashmir and Hyderabad, became the focus of bitter disputes.

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Independence declared

After Mountbatten announced that independence would come into force on August 15 1947, British troops were withdrawn to their barracks, with responsibility for law and order handed over to the Indian Army - a chiefly British-officered force.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah, known as the founding father of Pakistan, declared in his historic radio address: “August 15 is the birthday of the independent and sovereign state of Pakistan. It marks the fulfilment of the destiny of the Muslim nation which made great sacrifices in the past few years to have its homeland.”

While both Pakistan and India have the same independence day of August 15, Pakistan celebrates a day earlier, with multiple theories put forward as to why.

Some suggest Mountbatten’s busy schedule meant that to speed things up he went to Karachi to transfer powers of governance to Jinnah on August 14, while another theory suggests it is a Cabinet decision that Pakistan should celebrate its independence before India.

Lord Mountbatten (Viceroy of India) with Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah at Pakistan's independence in 1947 (Image: AFP/Getty)

Impact of partition

The partition meant that millions of people found themselves on the “wrong side” of the border, creating 10 million refugees as Muslims travelled to Pakistan and Sikhs and Hindus to India.

Around a million of these refugees were killed in a series of horrific massacres in the border regions between the two newly created states.

The violence that ensured included arson attacks, looting, and the rape, disfigurement and dismemberment of around 75,000 women.

Some of the worst atrocities took place in the Punjab, where an estimated 200,000 people were murdered.

Mountbatten was criticised for rushing the partition process without dealing with the migration and violence that marred the creation of the new nations and would have an impact for generations.

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End of Empire

Pakistan and India’s independence was a key moment in the history and decline of the British Empire.

India had been a cornerstone of the Empire and many colonies had been secured in neighbouring countries in order to protect trade routes for valuable commodities including tea, spices, coffee, gems, and textiles.

Britain’s withdrawal from Pakistan and India also was seen as setting a precedent in other parts of the Empire, hastening calls for independence from many other colonies under British rule.

Almost immediately after independence, tensions between Pakistan and India began to boil over, which would escalate into a number of wars between the two nations.

Indian soldiers walking through the debris of a building in the Chowk Bijli Wala area of Amristar during unrest following the Partition (Image: AFP/Getty)

The first broke out over the princely state of Kashmir, where the Maharaja was reluctant to join either nation. Pakistan, therefore, sponsored an invasion aimed at annexing the state.

When the Maharaja appealed to India for help, it was granted on the condition Kashmir joined the nation. A bitter war raged across the state until a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire was called in 1948.

The Kashmir issue still remains unresolved to this day.

This is the fourth article in a new series exploring the histories of how countries around the world became independent from Britain.