Indo Pakistan Flashcards
(20 cards)
What was the context behind India’s independence from Britain (year, prime minister,
british parliamentary victory of Atlee
(1945) - promised independence of India
when was the indian indeoendence act passed, what did it entail for india and pakistan
july 18 1947, india and pakistan to be demarcated by august 15 1947
who was responsible for the demarcation of india and pakistan, how was land partitioned, and how was it received
Cyril Radcliffe, partitioned to have the most muslims in between punjab and bengal, infuriated all parties
what was the immediate migration effect of the british partition on the indian and pakistani population (considering religion), what did it lead to
- hasty mass population transfer of hindus, sikhs, muslims
- riots, mass casualties, refugee crisis
how many hindus, sikhs, and muslims were migrating during the partition
15 mil
what was the death toll post partition
200k - 2mil
where did the muslims, hindus and skihs go towards during the partition
muslims - pakistan
hindus, sikhs - india
when did the first indo - pakistan war break out, and why
1947 oct : invasion of kashmir by armed tribesmen from pakistan, disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir
what was the issue with the british partitioning of india and pakistan that led to the dispute of states such as and specifically kashmir
- partitioned according to communal majority, did not consider princely states (semiautonomous status)
- kashmir: Hindi monarch and muslim majority population, borders both india and pakistan - monarch wanted to stay independent for the time being
what occured during the first indo-pakistan war
oct 1947
- invasion of kashmir by pakistan backed tribesmen, hindu monarch frightened, acceded to india, approved by british
- pakistan claimed india masterminded this to deprive pakistan of its territorial inheritance (as kashmir is majority muslim), monarch did not follow by his standstill independence agreement
- india claimed pakistan’s illegal invasion voided the status quo
what was the security value of kashmir, why
what was the indian and pakistan perspective
- strategic buffer zone for both india and pakistan
- borders Afghanistan, china, USSR
india: held close ties with the 3 countries bordering kashmir
pakistan: faced major military security threat if india troops could be stationed in kashmir western border (basically would be surrounded)
Who accepted kashmir monarch’s standstill agreement, who didnt
pakistan accepted, india did not accept
what was pakistan’s claim to kashmir (and jammu)
- putative homeland for muslims in the subcontinent, both states had a muslim majority
- part of it’s justification/vision for being an entirely muslim state
who was the key player in the india national congress, what was his aim for india
jawaharlal nehru
- unity and cohesion amongst different communities, secular, democratic state
who was the key player of the pakistan muslim league, what was his objective
- muhammad ali jinnah
- separate homelands for indian muslims and indian hindus
according to which historian (and year), the major reason for the conflict was the antithetical nature of hinduism and islam, as well as britain’s cut and run departure
burke, 1994
how many regions is kashmir split into
5
what is the main driver of economic interests for both sides with regards to kashmir (hint- its a river)
indus river
why is the indus river important economically and strategically
- farming from river water (suitable for irrigation) - employment
- important water source - control of it by one party could be a security threat to the other - india has upstream dams it can control
