Dominion of Pakistan

• 1. The Fifteenth Of August 1947

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  On the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions were set up in India. The Indian Independence Act 1947 declared these new states to be known respectively as India and Pakistan. Muslims had been pushing for their own state since at least 1940. They believed they would become second-class citizens in a Hindu-majority India otherwise. More than ten million people migrated across the new borders between the two nations. Between 200,000 and 2,000,000 people died in the spate of communal violence in the Punjab. Some scholars have described this period as a retributive genocide between the religions. The Pakistani government claimed that 50,000 Muslim women were abducted and raped by Hindu and Sikh men. Similarly, the Indian government claimed that Muslims abducted and raped 33,000 Hindu and Sikh women. The two governments agreed to repatriate abducted women. Thousands of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim women were repatriated to their families in the 1950s.

• 2. State Bank And Five Year Plans

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  Upon its independence, Pakistan suffered from several economic challenges as a result of the Partition of India. Over 6 million refugees from India to Pakistan created occupational gaps. Several skilled non-Muslim artisans and labourers left Pakistan for the newly independent India. Insurance companies, manufacturing companies, clinics, and educational institutes were left crippled because their Hindu staff ventured to India. In 1950, Pakistan's per capita income was around $360. The literacy rate was only 10%. The nation encountered a lack of economic infrastructure, financial resources, and an industrial foundation. Poverty rates ranged from 55% to 60% in West Pakistan. To coordinate economic development, the Pakistani government established a Development Board. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan presented the first five-year plan of Pakistan to the Constituent Assembly in 1948. As a part of this plan, the State Bank of Pakistan was established. The creation of this national bank gradually filled occupational gaps from partition. Banking services were restored and government revenues increased. In the fiscal year 1949, 50, Pakistan recorded a national savings rate of 2%. Manufacturing contributed 7.8% to the GDP.

• 3. The Assassination Of A Prime Minister

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  In a 1948 speech, Jinnah declared that Urdu alone would be the state language. Tensions began to grow in East Bengal. Jinnah's health further deteriorated and he died in 1948. Bengali leader, Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin succeeded as the governor general of Pakistan. During a massive political rally in 1951, Prime Minister Ali Khan was assassinated. Nazimuddin became the second prime minister. Tensions in East Pakistan reached a climax in 1952. The East Pakistani police opened fire on students protesting for the Bengali language to receive equal status with Urdu. The situation was controlled by Nazimuddin who issued a waiver granting the Bengali language equal status. This right was codified in the 1956 constitution. In 1953 at the instigation of religious parties, anti-Ahmadiyya riots erupted. Many Ahmadi deaths occurred during these events. The riots were investigated by a two-member court of inquiry in 1954. This event led to the first instance of martial law in the country. It began the history of military intervention into the politics and civilian affairs of the country.

• 4. The Radcliffe Line Demarcation

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  The controversial Radcliffe Award, not published until the 17th of August 1947 specified the Radcliffe Line. This line demarcated the border between the parts of British India allocated to the two new independent dominions. The Radcliffe Boundary Commission sought to separate the Muslim-majority regions in the east and northwest from the areas with a Hindu majority. This entailed the partition of two British provinces which did not have a uniform majority. Bengal and Punjab were divided. The western part of Punjab became the Pakistani province of Punjab. The eastern part became the Indian state of Punjab. Bengal was similarly divided into East Bengal and West Bengal. Territorial problems arose with neighbouring Afghanistan over the Pakistan, Afghanistan border in 1949. Diplomatic recognition became a problem when the Soviet Union led by Joseph Stalin did not welcome the partition. The Imperial State of Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan in 1947. In 1948, Ben-Gurion of Israel sent a secret courier to Jinnah to establish diplomatic relations. Jinnah did not give any response to Ben-Gurion.

• 5. George VI And Elizabeth II

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  From 1947 to 1952, George VI was the sovereign of Pakistan. He shared the same person as its sovereign with the United Kingdom and the other Dominions in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Following George VI's death on the 6th of February 1952, his elder daughter Princess Elizabeth became the new monarch of Pakistan. During the Queen's coronation in 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned as Queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries including Pakistan. In her Coronation Oath, the new Queen promised to govern the Peoples of Pakistan according to their respective laws and customs. The Standard of Pakistan at the Coronation was borne by Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani. Pakistan abolished the monarchy on the adoption of a republican constitution on the 23rd of March 1956. However, Pakistan became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen sent a message to President Mirza stating that it is a source of great satisfaction to know that your country intends to remain within the Commonwealth.

• 6. The First Census Of 1951

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  The First Census of Pakistan in 1951 enumerated 75.64 Million People. This made Pakistan the 7th most populated nation in the world at the time. It had a population density of 208 persons per square mile. About 55.6% of the population lived in East Pakistan while 44.4% of the population lived in West Pakistan. There were about 7,226,600 Muhajirs present in the entirety of Pakistan forming 9.8% of the total population. While 10.4% of the population was urban and 89.6% was rural. The literacy rate was 13.2%. Out of the people enumerated 54.43% of the population identified Bengali as their mother tongue. They formed a majority. 27.55% of the population identified as Punjabi. 6.61% identified their mother tongue as Pashto. 5.27% Sindhi. 3.25% Urdu. Another 2.89% for smaller languages like Balochi, Brahui, Kohistani, Khowar and English. New studies were conducted in 1955 after the collapse of the first five-year plan. In East Pakistan, the urban proportion was at 4.0% compared to 18.1% in West Pakistan.