Partition of India and Pakistn

Antecedents/ Background:
The first antecedent remotes to 1905 when the UK made an attempt to divide the
state of Bengal in India along religious lines, so the Indian national congress
replied by leading huge protests against this plan, this was a key factor that
detonated the emergence and creation of the Muslim league, which purpose
creation was to guarantee the rights of Muslims in any future independence
negotiations.
A year later Jinnah Muhammad Ali (Muslim politician, creator of the Muslim
league), presented a political official document of the league in which it wasnt
established and determined the territory nor status for the Muslim population,
in consequence the Muslim felt betrayed and entered in panic; immediately the
idea of the creation of a separate state for Muslims was proposed, this gave place
to many confrontations, disagreements and discussions, also the aggravation of
the relationship between this two parties.
By those times, the Muslim league and the Indian national congress had a tense
relationship, but they both searched the same goal of getting UK out of India.
During WW1 the Indian national congress and the Muslim league supported the
UK with troops, hoping in exchange their independence or political concessions,
but after the war the UK didnt give them anything.
In the next year, April 1919, the UK went to Amritsar, Punjab to repress pro
independence campaigns that were getting out of control, by the use of the army
force, it ended up in a massacre against innocent civilians, so that many people
joined the movement supporting the league and the National congress, it gave
them more strength. (Also it was the birth of the career of an important
character in the history of this country, Mohandas Gandhi became a very popular
social and politic activist of the Indian national congress, he fought for the union
of Hindu and Muslim India, but many members of the congress didnt agree with
him, so that the Muslim league was more convinced of creating a separate
independent Muslim state.)

What happened?
In 1941 (WW2), the UK requested one more time to India for army support
(troops) but the Indian national congress didnt attend the request because what
happened in WW1, when they gave them support and didnt receive any benefit
in exchange, but the Muslim league did help them, hoping that the UK helped
them splitting from India and getting their independence.
Before the war ended Winston Churchill was voted out, and pro independence
labour party was elected with Clement Attlee at the head, a little after, by the end
of WW2 India still was under the UK regime and making honor to his party
name, an imminent change of government was just around the corner, Clement


Attlee ordered almost immediately the independence of India as well as many
other UKs territories under it`s domain.
Where happened?
Providence of the British Indian, Bengal and Punjab, into the Pakistani
providence of oriental Bengal (nowadays Bangladesh) with all goods, services,
organisms, resources, etc. that this implies.
When happened?
Although it wasnt given an specific date it was told that once that elections were
made for choosing the new province government in India; it (the new
government) will take care of doing a constitution.
The elections took place on December of 1945 and the Muslim league took
advantage, taking all benches for the central assembly and 75% of the benches of
the province assembly, its success locates on the lack of decisions and
promotions of the Indian national congress. It was established that the Indian
independence would be granted at 1948 but at the end it was replaced to August
15 of 1947
How happened?
The UK needed to do the transfer of the territory to only one party (Muslims or
Congress), because of safety reasons, it was better to exist just one domain with
a single army that helped the ex metropolis in a future, UK, as long as the
relationship was harmonious; but by 1945 these two parts had very different
ideologies, and the violence accompanied with social chaos made the
relationship even hardier, each one had different policies that the other
difficultly would have accepted.
The Muslim league, leaded by Jinnah, promoted a campaign, which purpose was
to obtain the split and create a separate Muslim state; by its part the Indian
national congress leaded by Nehru Jawaharlal proposed a unified India, he was
supported by Gandhi, but it was declined for the league. As a result and as the
independence was closer, a civil war detonated in the country, in search and in
demand of their requirements Muslims detached for being extremely violent
leaving back thousands of deaths.
In February of 1947 the UK announced that by 1948 India would be granted its
independence, UKs viceroy in India, Louis Mountbatten, gather with the Hindu
and Muslim hoping to reach a deal and agreement of an unified country because
of the UK security interests mentioned before, once more Gandhi supported him,
but it failed and with no more to do Mountbatten granted independence and the
formation of two different, separated states, and overtook the date of
independence to August 15 of 1947.
The problem with distribution of lands was with the region of Punjab, because
its wealthy and natural resources, so that it was cut at the middle leaving
Pakistan with Lahore and India with Amritsar, it is estimated that more than five
hundred thousand of people were killed trying to cross the border.



Who?
It was the UK government that granted Indias independence for Hindu people
that were leaded by the National congress, and later on the agreement of the
separation of the Muslims in a specific territory, creating Pakistan leaded by the
Muslim league.


Sources:
Carballido Coria, Laura.
Mxico, D.F. : Colegio de Mxico : Universidad Autnoma Metropolitana, Unidad
Cuajimalpa, 2011, India o Pakistn? espacios divididos
Partition of India, Shirin Keen 1998, postcolonialstudies.emory.edu, retrieved
August 27,13 from:
http://postcolonialstudies.emory.edu/partition-of-india/
Farmington Hills, MI : Greenhaven Press ; San Diego : Thomson/Gale c2003.
India and Pakistan, opposing viewpoints
Asian history 2013, asianhistory.about.com, retrieved August 27, 13 from:
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/india/f/partitionofindiafaq.htm