Pakistan Studies- Term Paper

Submitted by Laiba Karim Khan

Program: BS English

Suggested supervisor: Dr. Sumayyah Rafique

Institute: National University of Modern Languages

Department of English Language, Literature and Applied Linguistics

Date of Submission: 15th’December’2021

 Introduction

After the years-long struggle of Muslim leaders, Pakistan came into being on 14th' August' 1947.

Just as the creation of this independent state was a tedious struggle, to manage and control this

country was as hard. Pakistan faced numerous problems after its creation, from administrative

issues to the rehabilitation of refugees. Quaid-I-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the governor-

general of Pakistan, dealt with these issues.

Many Indian Congress leaders claimed that Pakistan was not a stable state politically,

geographically, militarily, or even economically. And that sooner or later this country would go

back to its previous position before independence, a part of India. Quaid-I-Azam was faced with

all these challenges of a newly born state. (Kelly, 2014)i

Problem Statement:

Pakistan faced several problems, as a newly born state. These problems include geographical

border, river and canal water, economic or financial, social and linguistics, accessing the

prevailing states, adjusting the refugees into the newly formed state. Although, many issues have

been documented but not with clarity.

Question of Research:

What were the problems that Pakistan encountered after its independence?

Objectives of research:
The purpose of this study is to explore the problems faced by Pakistan at the time of

independence and later.

To analyze the aspect of the issues and their extent.

Methodology:

The method used to conduct this research is Qualitative. The crucial topic of problems of

Pakistan after its independence is approached descriptively as it is a historical subject matter.

Data Analysis and Discussion

 Geographical problems

During the haphazard departure of the British from the Indian Subcontinent, Sir Radcliffe took

the responsibility to declare the borders for both states and to settle boundaries between different

conflicting groups. As a result of which, many Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs opposed the decision

made by Sir Radcliffe, for the partition. Punjab and Bengal were divided between the two

nations, which in result created a lot of issues. Muslim majority areas such as Gurdaspur and

Ferozepur were given to India. To emigrate Muslims to the newly formed state was a plight.

Moreover, the partition of Pakistan into East and West state created a series of issues. East

Pakistan compromised of Bengal, whereas West Pakistan constituent of Sindh, Baluchistan,

Punjab, and NWFP, and other princely states also joined Pakistan. The distance was huge, both

states were far apart and because of unpleasant relationships with India, it wasn't easy to

establish a communication and well-govern environment for East Pakistan.

 Canal Water Dispute

The Canal Water problem began due to the separation of Punjab, after the independence of

Pakistan. Punjab comprises several rivers, which are laid across the land. Due to the division of

Punjab, division of these rivers was inevitable. Although West Punjab- which was given to
Pakistan- received rivers, the main headquarters or control centers, unfortunately, became part of

India. India promised to not interfere with the water system but soon, in 1948, India stopped the

flow of water in the Rivers. This caused a huge problem for Pakistan. Pakistan consulted the

international court of justice, for the matter, but India couldn't show agreement. Later on, a treaty

was signed to resolve the matter although it did not result in abundant progress.

 Accommodation of Refugees

With the Independence and division of Pakistan, came the problem of migrating citizens. This

was because many citizens felt as though they needed to leave the country they were in, either

Hindus or Muslims. By January of 1948, Muslims living in India had to leave the state. About 10

million Muslims were to move. During the migration, Muslims became targets of radical and

communal attacks. Many extremist Sikhs and Hindus formed a group to slaughter Muslims, and

this was not the first time Muslims became a target of killing. In 1946, the Muslims of Bihar

were attacked similarly. (Rabbani, 2005)ii

Many Muslims crossed the border into Pakistan, in a state of helplessness. The accommodation

of millions was a huge problem for this newly born state, which had little to no resources

available for the accommodation of Refugees.

 Accession of Princely states

Before partition, the subcontinent had more than 400 Princely states, with their separate princes.

The Princely states, however, were not given independence and they were given the choice to

declare acceptance into either Pakistan or India. Although the accession of many states was done

easily by voting, the division of the three states of Hyderabad, Junagadh, and Kashmir was

difficult.
Both Hyderabad and Junagadh had Muslim Princes, but the population living in the states were

majorly non-Muslims. The Muslim Princes wanted to join Pakistan but because of the non-

Muslim majority, they couldn't and soon Indian army attacked the provinces to gain their power

over them. Jammu and Kashmir, however, had a contradictory case. The province of Kashmir

had majorly Muslims living in it, but the Prince was a Sikh raja. He first delayed the joining to

either country and after that, he started to kick thousands of Muslims out of the province. When

Pakistan sent its soldiers to help Muslims, the Sikh raja asked for help from India. India granted

them help but in return, Kashmir had to become a part of India.

 The Problem of East and West Pakistan

The Muslim majority regions which were given to Pakistan could be classified as East and West

Pakistan. This was because of the distance between both regions. West Pakistan is comprised of

Sindh, west of Punjab, Balochistan, NWFP, and the Princely states of Chitral, Swat, Hunza,

Gilgit, Amb, Bahawalpur, and Dir. Whereas East Pakistan had Bengal. Both west and east

Pakistan were separated from miles, so that, it became arduous to resolve issues of both regions.

And because government officials were mostly from West Pakistan, the government's focus was

more on the west, east felt disconnected and it further caused Bengal's separation from Pakistan

in 1971, as it became Bangladesh. (Kelly, 2014)iii

 Distribution of Military Assets

During the decision of separation of Pakistan from the Indian Subcontinent, the British declared

division of money, political and military assets. Pakistan became more vulnerable as the newly

born state needed military assets to secure its independence. The defense assets were divided

according to the population and requirements of Pakistan. Pakistan did not receive enough army

officials as not many Muslim officers or soldiers were appointed in the army by the British and
they valued Indians more. Pakistan needed about two thousand officers to lead the army of 150

thousand soldiers, and it was not possible at that time to produce officers for the security of the

country. Pakistan ultimately had to receive help from the British in this matter.

 Distribution of Financial Assets

After division, Pakistan was destined to receive 750 million Rupees, but only 200 million were

transferred to Pakistan. (Iftikhar, n.d.)iv India kept a hold of the money but later gave the 500

million Rupees. This caused a lot of problems for the newly formed Pakistan.

 Economical Issues

When in such plight, Pakistan’s condition was, economical problems were to inevitably happen.

The states or regions which became a part of Pakistan were not as developed and lacked at many

levels. There weren't factories, industries, etc. except for Karachi. Although, Pakistan has

efficient agricultural resources, at that time agriculture only could not help the country's

economy.

 Social Conflicts

There were several diverse groups of people living in Pakistan after its independence, these

groups include Punjabis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Bengalis, and Sindhis. All of these social groups

were not given recognition during the British Raj. These people had distinct traditions and

cultures which made it difficult to combine them in a single country. When Urdu became the

national language of Pakistan, these people felt alienated as they did not speak the language.

Especially Balochis and Bengalis contemplated against joining Pakistan. It was yet another

problem to convince all these social groups to accept joining Pakistan.

Conclusion
This study analyzed the main troubles that challenged Pakistan’s existence as a newly

independent state. Pakistan not only faced the problems but survived many. Nonetheless, many

prevalent issues need assistance and attention.

References
i
Kelly, N. (2014). The History and Culture of Pakistan (New Edition, Vol. 6). Peak Publishing limited.
ii
Rabbani, M. I. (2005). Pakistan affairs (8th ed.). Caravan Enterprises.
iii
Kelly, N. (2014). The History and Culture of Pakistan (New Edition, Vol. 6). Peak Publishing limited.
iv
Iftikhar, A. (n.d.). Difficulties and problems faced in establishment of Pakistan. Academia.Edu. Retrieved
December 6, 2021, from
https://www.academia.edu/10614581/Difficulties_and_problems_faced_in_establishment_of_Pakistan