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Question -

Bring out two major differences between the challenge of nation building for eastern and western regions of the country at the time of Independence.



Answer -

The two major differences between eastern (Bengal) and western (Punjab) regions can be summed up as follows:

  1. The Muslim majority provinces of British India, Punjab and Bengal, had very large areas where the non-Muslims were in majority.
  2. Eventually, it was decided that these two provinces would be bifurcated according to the religious majority at the district or even lower level.
  3. This decision could not be made by the midnight of 14-15 August. It meant that a large number of people did not know on the day of Independence whether they were in India or in Pakistan.
  4. The Partition of these two provinces caused the deepest trauma of Partition.
  5. These regions were the Muslim majority of provinces to be joined. Hence, it was decided that the new country Pakistan will comprise two territories i.e. West and East Pakistan.
  6. There was the problem of minorities on sides of the border. Lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs in the areas that were now in Pakistan and an equally large number of Muslims on the Indian side of Punjab and Bengal (and to some extent Delhi and surrounding areas) found themselves trapped.
  7. As soon as it became clear that the country was going to be partitioned, the minorities on both sides became easy targets of attack. No one had quite anticipated the scale of this problem. No one had any plans for handling this.
  8. Initially, the people and political leaders kept hoping that this violence was temporary and would be controlled soon. But very soon the violence went out of control.
  9. The minorities on both sides of the border were left with no option except to leave their homes, often at a few hours’ notices.

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