What were some of the effects of the partition of India?

What were some effects of the partition of India?

• Answer:

  The Partition, most importantly, gave rise to the independent state of Pakistan (which then included Bangladesh as 'East Pakistan') and divided the British occupied landmass of the sub-continent. The British left and handed over control of the two states to their respective leaders (Jinnah and Nehru). As the partition was based on an ideological principle (or so most say) there were mass migrations across the country. Pakistan became the land for the Muslims and India that of the Hindus. Consequently, those of different religions had to migrate to their respective new homes. The tragic part of all this was that the concept of partition caused immense sectarian violence. Many atrocities and massacres were committed on both sides. Trains would pull up to stations filled with dead bodies that had been ambushed en-route. Such a movement also gave rise to anarchy in many places as there was much dakoit activity as well as looting. Finally, after the mass exodus of people between Pakistan and India, both countries realised that the British had done an incomplete job in the partition process. These include, but are not limited to, ambiguities in border definitions, strategic placements of crucial sources of rivers through corruption and the unresolved case of the province of Kashmir. These issues still trouble both nations to this day and have been the cause of two major wars between the countries. The question remains though, did the partition achieve it's goals of providing a safe homeland for the Muslims in Pakistan and the Hindus in India? Today, there are more Muslims living in India than there are in Pakistan. Most live in menial conditions and occupy the lower strata of Indian society. Having said that, in Pakistan, the concept of a Muslim nation state has made it a sadly intolerant to minorities. Whether or not the partition was the right thing to do is debateable. There are those who think that much bloodshed could have been avoided, however, there are also those who feel that Muslims and Hindus could not properly function equally in a mixed society.