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IndianIndependence:PartitionSource9
MinutesofameetingheldatGovernmentHouse,NewDelhi,16August
1947,toreceivetheawardsoftheBoundaryCommissionswhich
demarcatedtheboundariesbetweenIndiaandPakistaninBengalandthe
Punjab.

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TheIndianleaderspresentatthismeetingtoconsidertheawardsofthe
BoundaryCommissionswereseverelycriticaloftheawards.The
ChittagongHillTractsinparticularwerehotlydisputed.Thesehadalarge
HindumajorityandNehruconsequentlyarguedforthemtobecomepart
ofIndia.However,theTractswereregardedashavinganintimate
physicalandeconomicassociationwithEastBengalandnoproper
communicationlinkswithAssam,thusSirRadcliffeawardedthemto
Pakistan(seeMap2).ThePunjabwasanotherareaofdispute.Sikhs
madeupalargeproportionofthepopulationinthisareaandhad
importanthistoricalandreligiousassociationswithit.TaraSingh,a
leaderoftheSikhs,demandedaseparateSikhstateifpartitionwasto
goahead.ThiscametonothingandthePunjabwasdividedonthebasis
ofmajorityareasofMuslimsandnonMuslimsaswellasotherfactors
likeadministrativeviability,naturalboundaries,andcommunication,
waterandirrigationsystems(seeMap3).SikhsmigratedintotheIndian
PunjabwheretheclaimforaseparateSikhstatewastoberenewed
immediatelyafterpartition.

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TheAwardsoftheBoundaryCommissions

Map1:Indiabefore
Partition

MinutesofameetingheldatGovernmentHouse,NewDelhiat5p.m.on
Saturday,16thAugust.
Present

Map2:Partitionboundaries
inBengalandAssam
Map3:Partitionboundaries
inthePunjab

ViscountMountbattenofBurmaGovernorGeneral,India.Pandit
JawaharlalNehruPrimeMinister,India.Mr.LiaquatAliKhanPrime
Minister,Pakistan.SardarVallabhbhaiPatelHomeMinister,India.Mr.
FazlurRahmanMinisteroftheInterior,Pakistan.SardarBaldevSingh
DefenceMinister,India.Mr.MohammedAliCabinetSecretary,
Pakistan.RaoBahadurV.P.MenonSecretaryoftheStatesDepartment,
India.Lt.Col.V.F.ErakineCrumConferenceSecretarytothe
GovernorGeneralofIndia.
1.ThemeetingconsideredtheawardsoftheBoundaryCommissions,
copiesofwhichhadbeengiventotheMinistersaftertheJointDefence
Councilmeetingthatmorning.
Bengal
2.PanditNehrusaidthathehadneverconsideredthattheallocationof
theChittagongHillTractstoEastBengalwaspossibleunderthetermsof
referenceoftheBoundaryCommission.Eminentlawyershadconfirmed
thispointofview.TheseTractswereanexcludedarea,andwerenot
representedintheBengalCouncil.Heandhiscolleagueshadgiven
assurancestopettychiefsfromtheChittagongHillTractswhohadcome

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toseethem,thattherewasnoquestionoftheterritorybeingincludedin
Pakistan.ThepopulationoftheChittagongHillTracts,thoughsmall
(approximatelymillion)was97%BuddhistandHindu.Therewasnot
theleastdoubtthatthepeoplethemselveswouldprefertoformpartof
India.Onreligiousandculturalgrounds,theChittagongHillTractsshould
formpartofIndia.SirCyrilRadcliffehadhadnobusinesstotouchthem.
3.TheGovernorGeneralexplainedthereasonswhySirCyrilRadcliffe
hadincludedtheChittagongHillTractsinEastBengal.Heemphasised
particularlytheeconomictieswhichboundChittagongDistrictandtheHill
Tractstogether.HestressedtheimportancetoChittagongPortofthe
propersupervisionoftheKannaphuliAriver,whichranthroughtheHill
Tracts.
4.Mr.FazlurRahmangavehisopinionthattheChittagongHillTracts
couldnotexistifseparatedfromChittagongDistrict.Inhisview,the
allocationoftheseTractstoEastBengalwasunquestionablypermissible
underthetermsofreference.Infactthe"contiguity"clauseoftheterms
ofreferencewouldnothavepermittedtheirallocationtoWestBengal.
5.TheGovernorGeneralsaidthatithadbeenSirFrederickBurrow's
viewthatthewholeeconomyoftheChittagongHillTractwouldbeupset
iftheywerenotleftwithEastBengal.However,hehadconfirmedthat
SirFrederickhadnotexpressedanyviewonthismattertoSirCyril
Radcliffe,sohecouldnotbesaidtohaveinfluencedthedecision.
6.TheGovernorGeneralsuggestedthepossibilityofacompromise
wherebytheupperwatersoftheKarnaphuliwouldbeprotectedthrough
theallocationofastripofterritoryoneithersideoftherivertoEast
Bengal,whiletheadministrationoftherestoftheHillTractswouldbe
undertakenbyIndia.
7.Thiswasnotconsideredasatisfactorysolutionbyeitherparty.Pandit
Nehru'sviewwasthatIndiashouldundertaketheadministrationofthe
wholeterritoryastriponeithersideoftheriverallocatedtoPakistan
wouldcuttheterritoryintwo.IftheChittagongHillTractsweregivento
India,anagreementbetweenthetwoDominionGovernments,whereby
Pakistanwouldobtainalldesiredfacilities,couldwellbemade.
8.Mr.LiaquatAliKhansaidthathecouldnotconsideranysuggestionof
anadjustmentinthisterritoryalone.TheawardsofbothCommissions
mustbelookedatasawhole.Ifthiswasdone,itwouldbefoundthatSir
CyrilRadcliffehadcompletelyignoredthefundamentalbasisofhisterms
ofreference.Moreover,theChittagongHillTractsweretheonlysource
ofhydroelectricpowerinEastBengal.
9.TheGovernorGeneralthensuggestedthatthetwoGovernments
mightagreeonanexchangeofterritory,wherebytheChittagongHill
TractswouldgotoIndiaandsomepredominantlyMuslimareawhichhad
beenallottedbytheCommissiontoIndiawouldgotoPakistan.
10.Mr.LiaquatAliKhanemphasisedthattheawardsofthe
Commissions,takenasawhole,hadbeensounfavourabletoPakistan,
thathecouldnotconsideranyminormodificationonly,suchashadbeen
suggested.
11.Mr.FazlurRahmanprotestedstronglyagainsttheallocationofthe
DistrictsofDarjeelingandJalpaiguritoIndia.Inhisview,SirCyril
Radcliffehadviolatedthebasicprincipleofhistermsofreferencein
makingthisdecision.
Punjab
12.PanditNehrusaidthatheconsideredthattheawardoftheBoundary
CommissioninthePunjabwaslikelytohaveabadeffectamongthe
Sikhs,whopresentedaparticularlydifficultproblem.
13.SardarBaldevSinghalsoconsideredthatthereactiontotheaward

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wouldbeveryunfavourableontheSikhmind.
14.Mr.LiaquatAliKhansaidthatitwouldhaveasimilarlyunfavourable
reactionamongtheMuslims.Heemphasizedthathe,asPrimeMinisterof
Pakistan,consideredithisdutytostandupfortherightsoftheSikhsin
WestPunjabasmuchastheIndialeadersstoodupfortheirrightsin
EastPunjab.Heempahsizedthatcompletereligiousfreedomwouldbe
allowed.
15.SardarPatel'sviewwasthattheonlysolutiontothePunjabaward
wasatransferofpopulationonalargescale.
16.TheGovernorGeneralsaidthathehadspokentoMr.Jinnahabout
NankanaSahib.Mr.Jinnahhadstatedthathehaditinmindtogivethe
Sikhsanyreligiousassurancesthatwererequiredinconnectionwith
theirGurdwarathere.TheGovernorGeneralsuggestedthataspecific
statementonNankanaSahibmightbemadebythePakistan
GovernmentatthesametimeastheissueoftheBoundaryCommission
award.
17.Mr.LiaquatAliKhansaidthatheunderstoodthatitwasSirFrancis
Mudie'sviewthatthePunjabBoundaryForceshouldbeseparatedandbe
putunderthecontrolofthetwoGovernmentsratherthanunderjoint
control.Itwasagreedthatthissuggestionshouldbeconsideredatthe
meetingatAmbalathefollowingday.
18.PanditNehrusuggestedthatheandMr.LiaquatAliKhanshouldalso
visitLahoreandAmritsarthefollowingday,andthiswasagreed.
19.PanditNehrusaidthathehadreceivedparticularlyalarmingreports
fromLahore,wheremanyhundredsofSikhsandHindusweregathered
togetherinreliefcampswithoutproperprotectionandwithoutrations.
Mr.LiaquatAliKhanundertooktogetintouchwiththePrimeMinisterof
WestPunjabandaskhimtoensurethatfullmeasuresweretakenforthe
protectionofrefugees.HefurthersuggestedthatthePunjabBoundary
Forceshouldbeaskedtoassistintheevacuationofrefugees.
ThePublicationoftheAwards
20.Mr.LiaquatAliKhansaidthathewasopposedtoanysuggestionthat
adjustmentsbetweenrepresentativeofthetwoGovernmentsshouldbe
madeatthepresentmeeting.Heconsideredthattheawardsofthe
BoundaryCommissionshouldbepublishedasthestood.
21.TheGovernorGeneralsuggestedthatinthecommuniqustatingthat
theawardshadbeenconsideredbythePrimeMinisters,itmightbe
statedthattheyhadcometotheconclusionthattherewerecertain
unsatisfactoryfeatureswhichtheyproposedtotakeupforthwithona
governmentallevel.Mr.LiaquatAliKhanwasopposedtothissuggestion.
Heconsidered,anditwasagreed,thatthecommuniqushouldonly
makementionofthefactofthemeeting,andnotdrawattentiontoany
dissatisfaction,nortoanyproposalsforthetransferofpopulation.
22.PanditNehrufinallyemphasizedthatheandhiscolleaguesfelt
themselvestobeinamoralimpasseabouttheChittagongHillTracts,
because,throughouttheprevioustwoorthreemonths,theyhadgiven
countlessassurancestotherepresentativesofthatterritorythatitcould
notbeincludedinPakistan.Furthermore,thisactionhadbeentaken
afterconsultationwithlawyers.
23.ItwasagreedthattheGovernorGeneralshouldissuetheawardsin
theformofaGazetteExtraordinarythefollowingday,andthatcopiesof
theawardsshouldbesentimmediatelytotheGovernorsofEastand
WestBengalandEastandWestPunjab.
24.Itwasfurtheragreedthatadraftcommuniquhandedroundatthe
meetingshouldbeissuedthatnight,subjecttocertainamendments
whichweremade.VisitofMinisterofonedominiontotheother

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dominion.

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