Unsung stories of Pakistan's Independence:
The Partition of India was the division of British India in 1947 into two independent dominions, India and Pakistan. These are the citizens' untold stories of Pakistan's Independence. The joys and price of freedom.
Partition of India: Survivors of 1947 riots recall horrors of India-Pakistan separation
Admiral Rafiuddin Qadri On Muhammad Ali Jinnah:
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Admiral Rafiuddin Qadri (b. Rajkot, British India - 1934) |
In the year 1946 Quaid-e-Azam arrived in Ahmedabad. Up until then, we (like the average child ) were neither interested in politics nor knew about the idea of Pakistan andz who Mr. Jinnah was But my friends told me:
Mr. Jinnah is a big leader he will deliver the speech and we have to go to listen to him. The speech was going to be delivered at the lecture hall of a university in Ahmedabad. Now, the university of Ahmedabad was filled with rowdy students. Who had decided they were not going to let Quaid-e-Azam speak and they would heckle him shout and disrupt his speech. I went with my friends and sat in the gallery at the back. The moment Quaid e Azam stepped onto the stage, the boys started creating disruptions, but Quaid's personality was such that he refused to notice. The boys would shout and ask questions. But Mr. Jinnah totally ignored all of them and with the force of his personality, he kept speaking and believe me within five minutes everybody was quiet. That's when we realized this is a special person, an impressive man with a personality. So that day, we sat there listening to his lecture and got to know about Pakistan. Quaid was telling people, particularly Muslims that we along with the Hindus need independence. But these people won't let us live, once we gain independence, Muslims would face problems because at first, because Quaid e Azam had tried to fight for freedom from the British by joining the Congress. However, congress won't let Muslims take up any important positions. So, when we realized it wasn’t going to work out with the Hindus, he founded the Muslim league. He just had hoped that eventually, Pakistan would come into being so he would come tell people, especially Muslims, that if there was an election or any kind of referendum, they should vote for Pakistan. So what I was saying was he impressed us so that the same, he delivered a speech at Ahmedabad Jama Masjid and I said:
I’ll go and listen to this speech too. So we went to listen to that too. After that, the realization of it all sunk in. Soon after I remember there was a protest, Quid e Azam told everyone to wave black flags at their houses. So, the place we used to live in Ahmedabad consisted of Hindu, Muslim, Parsi, and Christian neighborhoods and we would all meet each other there. So our friends, especially the older boys who had ties with the Muslim League, warned me not to wave the Black Flag because Hindus lived close by. But by the point, my fervor was such that I took my mother’s white dupatta without asking her and dyed it black later when people saw us they were horrified and wondered what we were doing but thankfully nothing went wrong.
In 2010, Admiral Qadri shared his memories of the 1947 partition of South Asia with the Citizens Archive of Pakistan's Oral History Project. He vividly recalled Quaid-e-Azam's powerful 1946 address at Ahmedabad University and the profound impact it left upon the audience of unruly boys, including him.
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Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a lawyer, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah was trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London. He served as the leader of the All India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader) and Baba-i-Qaum (Father of the Nation).
Zohra Fazal on the joy of freedom:
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| Zohra Fazal (b. Bombay, British India – 1925) |
"In august 47 when independence was declared, that it was midnight and we heard people shouting and busses going around with the load of peoples, distributing Mithai (traditional sweets), and all that and
'Hindu, Muslim Bhai Bhai',
and the next day everybody had to go to their offices, you know, in national clothes not in their suit sand all that, for flag hoisting and all that. And then everybody was quiet and you know we were very relieved that there was partition, that there would be no conflicts between Hindus and Muslims. Of course , in our area, there were some Hindus living there also and we asked them, that if they were scared or something they could come into our houses. You know. it was, a sort of, a change - a total changer from what it was."
Zohra Fazal spoke about the atmosphere at the time of independence and the impact it had on communal relations
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| Sindh High Court, Karachi where the 1st Independence Day Parade took place. August 14, 1947. |
Pakistan emerged in 1947 from a British India, which was partitioned into two Dominions, India and Pakistan. On 14 August 1947, Pakistan achieved independence one day prior to Indian independence. India was partitioned, and an East and West Pakistan were created from Muslim majority areas. The basis of Pakistan was found in the ‘two nation theory’, where it was suggested that the Muslims and Hindus in undivided India made up two ‘nations’ and hence, required separate homelands.
Amin Naz on the Welcome to Pakistan:
"It was a nighttime and my mother said to me:'Amin Keep reciting Ayatul-Kursi when your on your way. Anytime you face a difficulty recite Ayatul-Kursi'.So, I kept reciting Ayatul-Kursi through out the night until morning. It was around 5 or 6 in the morning and i heard the Azaan. Someone told me the Azaan was coming from a mosque in Kasur. When I asked I had reached Kasur, they told me we were close. Then, believe me, when someone said:
'You have stepped foot into Pakistan. This is where Pakistan begins' .
I picked up the sand, and rubbed it all over myself,
'This is the soil of my Pakistan'.
I picked up the sand and poured it over myself,'This is the soil of my Pakistan'.
Amin Naz migrated to Pakistan soon after the Partition. He reminisced in his 2010 interview about his moving experience of setting foot on Pakistani soil for the first time.
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| The arrival of refugees from Amritsar to Lahore. 1947 |
One of the greatest migrations in human history began in August 1947 when millions of Muslims made their way to East and West Pakistan, and millions of Hindus and Sikhs headed in the opposite direction. Nearly seven million refugees are estimated to have arrived in Pakistan in the years following the Partition. Many hundreds of thousands never made it at all; at the most-conservative estimate, 200,000 individuals lost their lives in the massacres accompanying migration.
Agha Salman Baqir on Radio Pakistan:
" My father told me:
'All of our hearts were beating very fast'
It was an extremely emotional moment for us. As we were about to announce the creation of the new country and we were filled with unusual fervor. Between exactly 10:30 to 11:00 when the transmission was broadcast, the equipment was working properly and the studio was ready. It was decided that we should test it for the first time. Now, there is an announcement from All India Radio Lahore, at exactly 11:00 pm, Meaning that peoples have decided themselves that, they needed to grab the attention of the audience an hour in advance:
'The people who were listening, we must draw their attention towards us'.At exactly 11:00pm, they wrote an announcement, which was delivered by Mr. Zahoor Azhar and Mr. Zahoor Azhar penned it himself in English and this announcement was made thrice every 15 minutes. Like at 11:00pm, 11:15pm, 11:30pm and 11:45 pm. and during these intervals a melancholy music kept playing. At exactly 12 o'clock, when clock struck 12. The report reached me through the radio and the timepiece was brought from another room, the big timepiece they had in those days. That went 'tun tun tun', mimicking the current time. The music faded into the background and at exactly 12:00 Am, the clock rang 12 times and after the ringing, Zahoor Azhar made the announcement in English :'We are now to bring to you a special program, "The Dawn of Independence"'.This was the name of the program. I'm telling you about a historic moment, It was a very important program , The Dawn of Independence. After this announcement at 12 o'clock, the music played again. The Dawn of Independence right after this when it was 12 o'clock, another Urdu translation of the announcement, that was written by my father, Agha Muhammad Baqir, was presented by Mirza Mustafa Hamdani. The exact words of which I shall read out for you:
'Assalam u Alaikum. This is the Pakistan Broadcasting service, we are speaking from Lahore. It is 12 o'clock at night. And you are listening to the program, "The Dawn of Independence"'.
Agha Salman Baqir is a renowned Urdu writer, poet and critic from Pakistan. Mr. Baqir shared his father Agha Mohammad Baqir’s role in the historic announcement made by All-India Radio, Lahore, at midnight on the 14 of August 1947, declaring the “Dawn of Independence.”
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| An image of broadcaster, Mustafa Ali Hamdani, announcing the creation of Pakistan on the radio at 12 am. August 14, 1947 |
The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation was originally known as the Pakistan Broadcasting Service at the time of its inception on 14 August 1947. It had the honor of publicly announcing Pakistan's independence from Britain on 13 August 1947 at 11:59 pm. Mustafa Ali Hamdani made the announcement from Lahore in Urdu and English, while Abdullah Jan Maghmoom made the announcement from Peshawar in Pashto. At independence in 1947, Pakistan possessed three radio stations at Lahore (1937), Dhaka (established in 1939), and Peshawar (1936). A major program of expansion saw new stations opened at Karachi and Rawalpindi in 1948, and a new broadcasting house at Karachi in 1950. This was followed by new stations at Hyderabad (1951), Quetta (1956), a second station at Rawalpindi (1960) and a Receiving Centre at Peshawar (1960). In 1970, training facilities were opened in Islamabad and a station opened at Multan.
Saeeda Siddiqui on her Insatiable hunger:
"In Karachi my family was greeted with a very warm welcome at the Black Hangar. The entire Haroon family was there. Along with Hatim Alvi's family and Pasha Haroon, they served us all tea and toast and butter. After that, they took us into the transit camp. Where they served us Aloo Gosht (Meat curry), When I had eaten two naan, my brother held my hand saying: You'll fall sick because the hunger from the past 4-5 days, could not be satiated with just two naans. I couldn't stop my self and kept eating and eating"
Saeed Siddiqui was born in 1928, New Delhi, Saeeda Siddiqui migrated to Pakistan via train a midst the chaos and fear of the bloodiest mass exodus in modern human history. She evocatively described the insatiable hunger she felt and the experience of eating her first meal after days of perilous travel without food.
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| Karachi Airport 1943 |
Black Coloured Airship Hangar there was at the site of Karachi Airport, it was during the late 1920s and early 1930s, constructed for the British HMA R101, at the time, the largest aircraft ever built. Only three hangars were ever built in the world to dock and hangar Britain's fleet of passenger airships. However, the R101 never arrived in Karachi (then part of the British Raj) as it crashed and exploded just 8 hours into its maiden flight over Beauvais France, killing all but 6 of its 54 passengers and crew. This hangar was so huge that aircraft often used it as a visual marker while attempting VFR landings at Karachi. Over the years, the hangar became known as the landmark of Karachi. During the '60s, President Gen. Ayyub Khan unwisely ordered this hangar to be torn down. Thereby destroying a big part of the aviation heritage Pakistan. Dr. Attiya Inayatulla on her journey to Pakistan |
| Dr. Attiya Inayatullah (b. Sialkot, British India – 1939) |
"When we came into Pakistan, there was at the first station, the chants of 'Allah hu Akbar' and 'Pakistan Zindabad'. You know there was a vibrancy and everything just changed and the, we were going to Karachi and at Bahawalpur station, I remember again, this is one of my visual memories, at the Bahawalpur station, they had brought pots, the people for us to eat. There was biryani and everyone had to partake of that and there was celebration, lots of Euphoria. About the car Arriving in Pakistan and people migrating here"
Dr. Attiya Inayatullah migrated to Pakistan from Delhi in 1947. She was happy to share her memories of the warm welcome that awaited her and other migrants arriving in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, in 1947.
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| Image of refugees boarding a train for Lahore, Pakistan. 1947 |
Rail transport in Pakistan began in 1855 during the British Raj, when several railway companies began to lay track and started to operate in present-day Pakistan. The system was originally a patchwork of local rail lines operated by small private companies, including the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways and the Indus Steam Flotilla. In 1870, the four companies were amalgamated as the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway. Several other rail lines were built shortly thereafter, including the Sind–Sagar and Trans–Baluchistan Railways and the Sind–Pishin, Indus Valley, Punjab Northern and Kandahar State Railways. These six companies and the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway merged to form the North Western State Railway in 1880. In 1947, following Pakistan's independence, the North Western Railway became Pakistan Western Railway and the rail system was reorganized.
Amanullah Khan on his journey to Pakistan
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| Amanullah Khan (b. 1935) |
"At the time we were so called, minor riots at Burns Road and we were asked not to leave the ship. We arrived at Pakistan, we had to remain in the ship for about 5-6 days. Anyway some army people came there at night and there an officer delivered a speech and asked:
' Why have you remained in Karachi when the whole country belongs to you? So go to other parts of Pakistan'.
and there was a cargo train standing there at Kemari, they asked us to board the train and we boarded the train and went toward an unknown destination and that journey was also very troublesome, because there were no bathrooms, no food, no water, anyhow we travelled. At nighttime, the train stopped at some place and we were asked to leave the train. There we came to know that we have arrived at an American camp, at the time of the second world war. So, there were barracks, we were provided the barracks and there, of course, we were provided hot food, and we remained there for sometime. Then, thereafter, we arranged for our own food, We remained there for sometime. My father came from Vehari and went to Kotri and from Kotri to Hyderabad and then, he took all of us in a Buffalo cart to Hyderabad and we settled over there. That was a marvelous city, very beautiful city. People were very courteous and cooperative and our Sindhi brothers welcomed us. They helped us in sitting down there".
Amanullah Khan is a former lawyer and Judge born in 1935 in Kota, Rajasthan. In an interview in 2015, Mr. Khan described of the long and arduous journey from Karachi to Hyderabad following his 1948 arrival in Pakistan at the port of Karachi.
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The Port of Karachi is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water seaports, handling about 60% of Pakistan’s cargo (25 million tons per annum) located in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located between the Karachi towns of Kiamari and Saddar, close to the main business district and several industrial areas. The geographic position of the port places it in close proximity to major shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. The administration of the port is carried out by the Karachi Port Trust, which was established in the nineteenth century. The modern port started its operations in 1854 during the British Raj, when a mole was constructed to connect the city to the harbor. At the time of independence in 1947, the Port capacity was about 1.5 million tons of dry cargo and 1.0 million tons of products per annum.
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