Aftermath
Louis Mountbatten
Some could blame the turmoil on India's viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten. He was sent to India with one task in mind- find a compromise with the Indian leaders and get Britain out before India's situation worsened.
“Why should we wait? Waiting would mean that I should be responsible, ultimately, for law and order.” |
Although this argument was valid, the situation in India was worse than Mountbatten had expected, and he believed it was beyond his ability to control it. He was in favor of a united India, but let India's leaders have the ultimate decision.
Two Nations Created
As tensions increased throughout the nation, a quick decision was needed. Because Jinnah insisted on fighting for a separate country for his people, Nehru finally gave up the idea of a united India and accepted partition.
"...freedom must mean freedom, both from the British exploitation and Hindu domination. Hundreds of millions of Muslims will never agree merely to a change of masters..."
~Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Source- Muhammad Ali Jinnah Speech on the Making of Pakistan
On August 14, 1947 Pakistan and India were officially declared two independent nations.
The Indian part of the Punjab was cleared of nearly all Muslims, and Pakistan was cleared of nearly all of its Hindus. Lahore, once one of the most diverse cities in India, was now home to Muslims.
"There were areas where the margins were not very great...the majority in those areas wanted to make sure that the process did not get fudged...so drive the minority out whether it is Hindu or Muslim to make sure that this bit of territory doesn't slip out of your hands.”
~Pran Chopra
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned
Mass Migrations
An estimated fifteen million people migrated to different areas- Muslims to Pakistan, and Hindus to India. Thousands of people lay abandoned in refugee camps on the wrong side of the border.
“We were very frightened...left with fear of death to save our family...Our elder brother told us not to take anything but to save our lives...We didn't know where we were going, but we hoped that we would be able to go back to our village...There was a lot of disease...Aeroplanes used to supply us with food...We used to drink dirty water as well...used to drink water with our hands from the paddy fields.”
~Amar Kaur and Pritam Kaur
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned
“I miss my friends...I couldn’t understand why they had to go. Why were they pushed away? I knew they were not going happily so I couldn’t understand why and I still can’t..."
~Aridaman Singh Dhillon
Source- BBC Documentary: The Day India Burned