PAK-STUDIES NOTES-GRADE 9th

Chapter # 3 – Emergence of Pakistan

3.3.4. Describe the Independence Act 1947.

The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was passed by the British Parliament to end British rule in India and to divide British India into two independent dominions, India, and Pakistan. The Act came into effect on August 15, 1947, and it laid down the following key provisions:

Partition of British India

 The Act provided for the partition of British India into two separate dominions—India and Pakistan. Pakistan comprised two geographically non-contiguous areas, West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh).

Transfer of Power

 The Act transferred legislative sovereignty to the respective dominions and ended British suzerainty over the princely states, allowing them to accede to either India or Pakistan or remain independent.

Constitutional Framework

 Until the new constitutions were formed, both dominions were to be governed by the Government of India Act 1935, with necessary adaptations and modifications.

Governors-General

 The Act provided for the appointment of separate Governors-General for India and Pakistan. Lord Mountbatten continued as the Governor-General of India, while Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the Governor-General of Pakistan.

Financial Arrangements

The Act outlined the financial arrangements between India, Pakistan, and the UK, including the division of assets and liabilities.

Partition of Bengal and Punjab

The Act implemented the earlier decisions to partition Bengal and Punjab, which had significant Muslim and non-Muslim populations, into separate provinces for India and Pakistan.

Overall, the Indian Independence Act of 1947 marked the formal end of British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent and the beginning of the independent nations of India and Pakistan.

Jirga and referendum.

West Punjab (Provincial Assembly unanimously decided to join Pakistan).

Sindh (Provincial Assembly unanimously decided to join Pakistan).

Balochistan (A Shahi Jirga in Balochistan decided to join Pakistan).

 NWFP (people decided to join Pakistan in a referendum held in NWFP).

 East Bengal (Provincial Assembly unanimously decided to join Pakistan)

 District Sylhet (people decided to join Pakistan in a referendum).