SECTION

TOPIC 18

INITIAL PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN 1947 -48:

Introduction:

·       Quaid-e-Azam sworn as the Governor General of Pakistan on 14th

august 1947.

·       He said “Pakistan has come to exist for ever”.

Geographical problems:

Pakistan was split into two separate parts almost athousand miles apart.
East Pakistan comprised of most of Bengal and the Sylhet which voted in a
referendum to join Pakistan. West Pakistan comprised of west Punjab,
Sindh, Baluchistan and the NWFP. The princely states of Dir, Swat,
Chitral, Amb, Hunza, Gilgit and Bahawalpur also joined Pakistan. These
two wings of Pakistan wereseparated by about a 1000 miles of land that
belonged to India.

Political problems:

India inherited government buildings, furnishings even officials from the

British. Pakistan had none of these. India had officials, members of the
Indian national congress, with political experience to take over the
government. In Pakistan, the constituent Assembly members were mostly
wealthy landlords with little political experience. Pakistan lacked both the
administrative and the government machinery to run the affairs of a new
country. Quaid-e-azam would need to find a capital, a government and
officials to ensure the efficient government of the new state. Perhaps the
major problem was that the Quaid-e-azam had suffered fromtuberculosis.

Economic problems:

Pakistan was underdeveloped with very little industry. Only Karachi had
the modern port   but it had no connection with the border areas.
Pakistan’s agriculture didn’t produce enough of a surplus to create the
wealth needed for industrialization. Only jute export produced the major
source of foreign exchange earnings for Pakistan but the problems created
by partition are exemplified by the fact that in 1947 Pakistan didn’t have a
single jute mill. All the jute mills were in the new India.

The percentage of economic assets in Pakistan after partition:

·       Industrial enterprises: 10 %

·       Industrial workers : 6.5 %

·       Electrical capacity : 5%

·       Mineral deposits : 10 %     

Electricity ProblemDue to transfer of Muslim majority areas to India and

unfair demarcation, electricity system of West Punjab was disrupted
,because all power stations were at Mundi, a predominantly Muslim
majority area, gifted to India but Quiad-e-Azam said:"If we are to exist as a
nation ,we will have to face the problems with determination and force."

Social problems:
Pakistan was mainly made up of 5 different regions. Some historians have
gone as far as suggesting that really it was 5 different nations. Certainly
there were five different population groupings.

(i)              the Pakhtuns in the north

(ii)             the Balochs in the west

(iii)            the Sindhis in the south

(iv)            the Punjabis in the north east

(v)             the Bengalis in the east

These people had different traditions, cultures, languages and lifestyles.

Baluchistan and Bengal in 1947 were not completely sure that they now
wanted to transfer allegiance to a new Pakistan, where once again the
official language Urdu would not be the one they spoke.

The Accession of the princely states:

Lord Mountbatten gave the right to 462 princely states to choose between
India and Pakistan. Their location and their religion made the choice a
straightforward one. In 1947 the northern areas of Dir, Swat, Chitral, Amb
and Hunza joined Pakistan. Bahawalpur also joined Pakistan; Sylhet in
East also joined Pakistan through referendum.

Hyderabad was the largest of the princely states with a population of 160
million. It was wealthy with revenue of 160 million rupees. Nizam wanted to
join Pakistan but he was pressurized to join India due to non-Muslim
population there. In august he filed a complaint before UNO. But before it
could be heard Indian troops captured Hyderabad.

Junagarh was a small state on the coast, 300 miles south of Karachi. Its
prince was Muslim but population was non-Muslim. Prince announced to
join Pakistan in [Link] Lord Mountbatten informed Pakistan that the
accession of Junagarh was an encroachment on Indian sovereignty and
territory. Ultimately Indian troops surrounded the state and took the control.
Pakistan protested to the UNO about the illegal occupation but the matter
remains unresolved.
The Kashmir Issue:

The most serious disagreement between India and Pakistan concerned the
state of Jammu and Kashmir. Its boundaries with Tibet, China, Afghanistan
and Russia gave it great strategic importance. Most of the 4 million
inhabitants of Kashmir were Muslims but the maharaja was Hindu. In
September 1947 he started a campaign to drive many Muslims out of
Kashmir. Over 200,000 fled to Pakistan and finally the Muslims rose in
rebellion. The Maharaja was forced to turn to India for help to crush the
Muslims. Indian help came and the Maharaja Hari Singh agreed to accede
to India. Pakistan also sent troops to help Kashmir (Muslims).Neither side
was strong enough for a long war. So in January 1948 the matter referred
to the UNO.A ceasefire was arranged on Jan. 1949 and Kashmir was
divided between India and Pakistan. India retained the largest area of
Kashmir including the capital Srinagar. Indian Prime Minister Nehru agreed
that a referendum would be held in Kashmir to determine the wishes of the
people, once the situation has [Link] referendum has not been
held yet…

The Division of financial and military assets:

It was agreed that the assets were to be divided on the ratio of 17 to India
and 5 to Pakistan. This reflected the relative size and populations of the
country. In June 1947 it was agreed that Pakistan would be paid 750
millionrupees of the 4 billion rupees in the reserve bank. First 200 million
rupees were paid but later on India refused to pay the rest saying Pakistan
would only use it to buy arms to fight against India. Gandhi was
determined that the division of assets should be fair and took steps to
persuade India to pay the due money. He used the threat of a hunger
strike and successfully persuaded the Indian government to pay a further
500 million rupees. Armed forces and the military equipment were split 36
% to 64% between Pakistan and India.

The armed forces personnel were given freedom to opt for whichever
country they wanted. Muslim regiments went to Pakistan and non- Muslim
to India. Pakistan’s army comprising on 150,000 men and had only 2500
trained Muslim officers. It required 4000 officers; ultimately Jinnah had to
hire 500 British officers temporarily. All 16 ordnance factories were in
India, and it refused to hand over any. Pakistan had no factory for making
military goods. Eventually India agreed to pay 60 million rupees in lieu of
handing over ordnance factories. The military supplies which India agreed
to hand over were often old, worn, damaged and obsolete.

The canal water dispute:

The canal water dispute had its origin in the partition of Punjab in
[Link] Pakistan relies upon irrigationfrom a series of canals which
draw water from the 3 main rivers in the area, the Indus, the Jhelum, and
the Chenab. The problem for Pakistan was that the flow of water was
controlled at a series of ‘headwork’s’ lay in the part of east Punjab
(India).Soon India and Pakistan indulge into a canal water dispute.
Pakistan called for the matter to be settled by international court of justice
but India refused. In May 1948 a temporary agreement was reached and
India agreed to allow water from east Punjab to flow into west Punjab. The
problem was reso;ved permanently on 1960

Refugees and the accommodation crises:

In the years immediately before partition there was widespread violence

between Muslims and the non-Muslims communities across India. The
summer of 1947 saw rioting which led to numerous deaths. When the
boundary Award was announced in august 1947 things became worse.
Millions of people found themselves living in the wrong country and
became victims of communal attacks. That year witnessed the largest
migration of mankind and also some of the worst scenes of communal
violence. Over 20 million people had moved from India to Pakistan or in
other direction by Jan. [Link] Muslim historians believe that Hindus
and Sikhs had an organized programme for the massacre of Muslim
refugees. A million men, women and children died as a result of the
violence or the rigors of the long journey. Nearly 10 million people were
made homeless. Karachi alone received nearly 2 million refugees in
[Link] was impossible for Pakistan to provide accommodations to that
mass number of people. In September 1947 the authorities in Delhi had to
declare martial law as non-Muslim refugees had begun a slaughter of local
Muslims. India and Pakistan were so concerned about the communal
violence that they began to cooperate in trying to control it.

Drawbacks in Educational System:

Lack of proper planning:

There is no proper planning. Planning needs correct facts and figures

which are not available. Innovations are neither research based nor are
introduced after proper preparation. They introduced with a stroke of pen,
and cancelled ill equal haste. Nationalization and de-nationalization of
schools, semester system and its cancellation, comprehensive schools,
superior science colleges are examples.

Policies and their implementation:

Education policies are framed, but are not fully implemented with honesty
and whole heartedness. Five policies were framed, the latest was in 1979.
Over 1000 recommendations were made but only 25% were implemented.
A new policy is introduced with every change of government.

Administrative set up:

Officers at high level want to have all powers in their hands. At lower level
there is lack of proper supervision and control.

Lack of funds:

This is the most important draw back. The government has no money to
open more primary schools to accommodate all children of school going
age. The result is that there is overcrowding in primary and secondary
schools. Most of the money allocated to education is spent on salaries.
There is no money for research, development or teachers' training.

Poor condition of Schools:

School buildings are in bad shape. Buildings are neglected and

dilapidated. There are thousands of schools without proper class rooms.
There is no proper furniture or facilities of drinking water, toilets or playing
grounds. Very often classes are held under the open sky and children are
sitting on bare ground.

Teachers:

In Pakistan teachers are a neglected community. No incentive is provided

by the governments or the society to the teachers and they are considered
to be a community known for their intellectual and economic
backwardness. Training of teachers is also on old and out-dated lines and
it does not conform to the latest methods and trends.

Examination System:  

Examination system is in primitive state. The system is based on selective

study, memorizing the text books or notes are all what is required.
Memorization of a narrow range of predictable topics is rewarded by high
marks. The system of examination is counter-productive as far as
intellectual growth is concerned. It tempts the students to cram rather than
analyse and apply the knowledge to solve problems.

PAST PAPERS questions:

Question No. 1: Explain three reasons for the canal water dispute
between India and Pakistan.      (7) June 2000 Q. 4 b

Question No. 2: how successful did India and Pakistan handle the
Kashmir issue up to 1988? Explain your answer.  (14) Nov. 2000 Q. 4
c

Question No.3: why was Pakistan faced with a refugee problem in

1947? (7) Nov. 2000 Q.4 b

Question No. 4: How successful was the government of Pakistan in

solving the problems of partition during 1947 and 1948? Explain your
answer.     (14)  June 2002 Q.4.c

Question No. 5: why did Pakistan join the UN in 1947? (7)     Nov.
2002 Q.5 b

Question No. 6: why was the division of the armed forces and military
assets a problem for Pakistan in 1947? (7) Nov. 2003 Q. 4 b
Question No. 7: was the refugee issue the most important problem
facing the newly formed government of Pakistan in 1947? Give
reasons for your answer.   (14   June 2004 Q. 3 c

Question No. 8: how successful did India and Pakistan handle the
Kashmir issue between 1947 and 1988? Explain your answer. 

(14)  Nov. 2004 Q. 4c

Question No.9: why did Pakistan face so many problems in the

provision of education between 1947 and 1988?  (7) Nov. 2004 Q.5 b

Question No. 10: The government of Pakistan was totally successful

in solving the problems of partition during 1947 and 1948. Do you
agree? Explain your answer.  (14)    June 2005 Q. 4 c

Question No. 11: how successful did India and Pakistan handle the
Kashmir issue between 1946 and 1988? Explain your answer.

 (14)    Nov. 2006 Q. 4 c

Question No.12: Why was Pakistan faced with a refugee problem in

1947? (7) Nov. 2006 Q. 4 b

Question No.13: why did Pakistan join the UN in 1947? (7)  June 2007
Q. 4 b

Question No. 14: The canal water dispute was the most important
problem facing the newly established government of Pakistan in
[Link] you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.  (14)
June 2007 Q.4c

Question No.15: why did educational reform become such an

important issue between 1947and 1988?   (7) Nov 2007 Q.4 b

Question No. 16: the low rate of literacy was the most important
social problem facing Pakistan between 1947 and [Link] you agree?
Give reasons for your answer. (14)  June 2008 Q.4 c

Question No.17: the formation of a government was the most

important problem facing the newly established country of Pakistan
in 1947, do you agree? (14)    Nov 2009 Q. 4 c

Question No.18: what was the Canal Water Dispute? (4)   June 2010
Q.4a

Question No.19: why did Pakistan join the UN in 1947? (7)  June 2010
Q.4 b

Question No. 20: Describe the refugee problem. (4)   Nov.2012 Q.4.a

Question No.21: The government of Pak. Was totally successful in

solving the problems of partition during 1947 and 1948. Do you
agree? Explain your answer. (14)   June 2012 Q. 4 c

Question No.22:How successful was Pakistan in solving the

problems of Partition during 1947 and 1948? Explain your answer.

(14)     June 2016 Q. 4 c

Question No.23: Explain why the subcontinent was faced with a

refugee problem in 1947.(7)   Nov. 2017 Q.4.b

ANSWER TO QUESTION NO. 4:-

                      The government of Pakistan was successful to some

extent in solving the problems of partition during 1947 and
[Link] Pakistan came into existence in August 1947, it faced
many difficulties. The most important problem was the formation of a
central government of Pakistan. There were no offices, no office
equipment and no office workers. The central government offices
were set up in army barracks and hired residential buildings. The
problem of refugees was a very big problem. Communal riots had
started in Indian Punjab and Delhi. Millions of Muslims had the leave
their homes and had to run to Pakistan. The division of military
assets was another problem. The division was to be made at a ratio of
36:64 between the two countries. But since all big military stores was
on the side of India. The equipment given to Pakistan was obsolete
and consisted of unusable machinery and equipment. Pakistan had to
suffer a great loss and had to start from a scratch. In the division of
financial assets again the Indian leaders showed great dishonesty
and unfairness. The payment was not only withheld for a long time,
But out of a sum of Rs: 750 million only Rs: 700 million were paid in
several instalments. Rs: 50 million were never paid at all. Canal water
dispute also arose in April 1948 when India stopped the supply of
water in the canals coming out or River Ravi and River Sutlej,
because their head-works were located in India. A large agricultural
area of Pakistan was badly affected. After lengthy negotiations this
problem was solved with the cooperation of World Bank under the
Indus Water Treaty in [Link] accession of three princely states of
Junagarh, Hyderabad and Kashmir created great problems for
Pakistan. The ruler of Junagarh formally acceded to Pakistan. But the
population was mostly non-Muslim; therefore, India occupied the
state with the help of armed forces. The state of Hyderabad wanted to
remain independent. But in September 1948, the Indian army forcibly
occupied the state. Kashmir had an overwhelmingly Muslim majority
population. But the Hindu Maharaja formally acceded to India against
the wishes of the people. India airlifted her troops and occupied the
state capital Srinagar. Kashmir still remains a disputed territory. India
does not obey the resolutions of the Security Council which has
ordered a free and fair plebiscite in Kashmir. Four wars have been
fought between India and Pakistan and two agreements were
finalized, but the problem of Kashmir remains unsolved mainly
because of unfair and stubborn attitude of India.

However under the guidance of Quaid – e – Azam and with courage

and confidence, the difficulties were overcome and the government
of Pakistan started functioning smoothly. Quaid – e – Azam and
Liaqat Ali Khan became the Governor general and Prime Minister
respectively. The Pakistan government set up camps for the refugees
and looked after them for several months. They were gradually
settled in the new country. Under the guidance of Quaid-e- Azam a
new department was created for rehabilitation of the refugees. In May
1948 a temporary agreement was also reached and India agreed to
allow water from east Punjab to flow into west Punjab. Jinnah was
successful in hiring of 500 British officers and received 60 million in
lieu of ordnance factories. Jinnah convinced Bengalis to accept Urdu
as the national language and believed that we should feel like
Pakistani instead of Punjabi or sandhi.      

Besides all the uncertainty Pakistan was successful in overcoming

its initial problem.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF QUAID-E-AZAM AS GOVERNOR GENERAL 1947-

48:

 
 

As a leader:

• He was the 1st governor general of Pakistan.

• He was an inspiration for the nation.
• He took the role of Chief Executive in the new government & chaired the
cabinet meetings.
• He was the president of the constituent assembly.
Building a Nation:

• Jinnah dealt with the problems faced by Pakistan at the time of partition.
• Country was divided into east & West Pakistan & he coup with the
geographical problems as well.
• Jinnah stressed everyone to work together to create nation.
• He said: “every one of us should think, feel & act as Pakistani & we all
should be proud on being Pakistanis alone.
• Jinnah was opposed to religious intolerance, provincialism & racialism.
• He called himself as the protector general of religious minorities.
• He was determined to see Pakistan a land of tolerance.
• He said that Islamic ideas about justice & equality demanded that any
non-Muslim who was to remain in Pakistan should be treated fairly.
• Jinnah helped refugees by setting up a relief fund to rehabilitate them.
• He secured the membership of the country to UNO in September 1947.
Building a government: 

·       Quaid knew that no problem could be solved until the country had an
administration that could take decision about the problems.

·       Liaqat ali khan was made the prime minister & a cabinet was formed.
A constituent assembly was also set up.

·       Karachi became the capital of Pakistan.

·       Central secretariat was setup to run the country.

·       Civil service was reorganized & civil rules were drafted.

·       Quaid was determined that government officials should have right
attitude to their work.
·       He informed the officials that they were the servants of people & not
the rulers of the country. He wanted them to work with national spirit.

Building an economy:

• Pakistan was denied its full share of wealth.

• It was difficult to convert Pakistan from an agricultural country to one with
a degree of industrial development.
• On 1st July 1948, Quaid established State bank of Pakistan to help
develop the economy.
• Quaid reached a compromise with India in the canal water dispute, which
ensured that Pakistan’s Agriculture would not be denied precious
water supplies.
•  He also urged to set up industries in Pakistan.
Establishing national security:

·       Pakistan had been given poor military equipment & it lacked senior
cadre officers for army.

·       Army needed more officers.

·       Quaid didn’t want Pakistan become a military oligarchy.

Conclusion:

• Quaid died on 11th September 1948.

• Times newspaper wrote. “No succeeding GG can quite fill his place as
the Father of the Nation”.
•  Stanley Walport said, “Few individuals significantly alter the course
of history, still very few change the map of the world, hardly
anyone can be credited with creating a nation state,
Mohammad Ali Jinnah did three”.