PAK-STUDIES NOTES-GRADE 9th

Chapter # 3 – Emergence of Pakistan

3.3.2 Discuss the Major Features of the Boundary Commission.

The Indian Independence Act of 1947 mandated the establishment of a Boundary Commission to delineate the border between Pakistan and India in the provinces of Punjab and Bengal. This article examines the commission’s purpose, structure, outcomes, and impact on Pakistan.

Purpose of the Boundary Commission

The Boundary Commission was tasked with demarcating the boundary in Punjab and Bengal, which had mixed populations of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims. It faced challenges in deciding the boundary’s location and dealing with economically significant factors like rivers and railway facilities. The commission aimed to facilitate a resolution acceptable to both Pakistan and India by providing equal representation to the Congress and the Muslim League.

Structure of the Commission

Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired the Boundary Commission.

Separate commissions were formed for Punjab and Bengal.

Each commission had an equal number of members from Pakistan and India.

Sir Cyril Radcliffe had the authority to make unilateral decisions if the commissions failed to reach an agreement.

Outcome of the Boundary Commission

The Boundary Commission failed to reach a consensus, leading Sir Cyril Radcliffe to unilaterally demarcate the boundaries in Punjab and Bengal. His decisions are known as the Radcliffe Awards.

Unjustness of the Commission and its Impact on Pakistan

Awarding Calcutta to India

Despite being surrounded by Muslim-majority areas, Radcliffe awarded Calcutta to India. Calcutta, the capital of Bengal, was the largest commercial and educational center of the province. Its development relied heavily on the labor of the Muslim peasantry of Bengal. East Bengal supplied most of the raw materials needed in Calcutta, where all the factories and mills were located. Despite these considerations, Radcliffe’s decision favored India.

Awarding Muslim majority areas to India in Punjab

The Boundary Commission, in a clear violation of the Indian Independence Act 1947, granted Muslim-majority areas of Ferozpur and Gurdaspur in Punjab to India.

Awarding Ferozpur to India

Ferozpur originally had a Muslim majority, and Radcliffe initially awarded it to Pakistan, but Mountbatten compelled him to reverse his decision. Ferozpur had canal headworks that supplied water for irrigation in the Indus plain in Pakistan. On April 1, 1947, India blocked water to Pakistan and diverted the flow eastward. This water blockade posed a potential threat to Pakistan’s survival as an agricultural country, as it heavily relied on the Indus for crop farming.