There are some events in history that always have fascinated me. One of them is the independence and partition of India in 1947.
Besides two world wars, it can be counted among the most important events of
the twentieth century. This event gave independence to India and eventually
three independent countries emerged.
Independence
of India was not a simple affair, because it also involved partition of the
country. When it came to partition it was actually the partition of two
provinces Bengal and Punjab. I first developed my interest in this subject in
late 1980s when I was in school and studied in the books of social studies and
Pakistan studies about this issue. It was claimed that during the partition in 1947, the last viceroy
Mountbatten conspired against Pakistan and influenced Radcliffe to award an
unfair decision against Pakistan. But there were no details that
exactly how much area according to this claim, was awarded to India unfairly. In
the coming years I tried to find the answers but that proved to be a difficult
task. First of all there were no maps to be found, and there was no census data
as well. However, I kept on searching for more than two decades and finally found most of
the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle.
My aim is not to stir a controversy or to forward a claim
on any "lost" territory. It is just an academic exercise of a student of history. That
is why I have tried to stick to just facts, whether census figures or
geographical. I do not claim that these are perfect maps, by a trained
cartographer. I made them with the help of dozens of maps I found on internet
and books, with the simple tools of MS Paint. But they give a reasonably fair
idea and picture of the demographics of Punjab in 1947. All the readers are
most welcome to point out inaccuracies or suggest improvements.
Before moving to my subject I would like to give a historical
background of the modern political boundaries of Punjab. After the
disintegration of the Mughal Empire, Sikh power rapidly rose in central and
eastern Punjab in late 1750s. By 1763 they even captured Lahore the capital and
the most important city of Punjab. For the next four decades chaos reigned
supreme as the whole province became divided among dozens of petty Sikh and
Muslim warlords and chieftains. Out of this situation Ranjit Singh of
Gujranwala rose rapidly and captured Lahore in 1799. And by the time he died in
1839, he had conquered the whole of Punjab west of Sutlej River, which included the
Bist Doab, all of present day Pakistani Punjab (except Bahawalpur division),
most of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Kashmir valley.
The above map shows the simple distribution of Hindu population of Punjab, according to the census of 1941.
The above map show the boundaries of the State of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in dark and light green colours. The areas marked with dark green lie in Pakistan, while areas in light green lie in present day India.
At the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh the Sikh state of Punjab became politically unstable. The British were as usual waiting for such an opportunity and after many hard fought battles in two wars, finally conquered Punjab in 1849, the last independent state in India.From 1849
onward Punjab became a province of British India. In 1857 a mutiny break out in
native regiments of the army of East India Company and soon spread over a large
area. It was suppressed with great difficulty and much bloodshed. After the end of
the mutiny, the British government assumed the direct control of India and
annexed Delhi city and other districts between Jamuna and Sutlej to Punjab.
This situation remained until 1901, when districts west of Indus river were
carved out of Punjab to make a new province, which was named as North Western
Frontier Province or NWFP.
The above map shows the boundaries of Punjab, after the annexation of Delhi and surrounding districts until the establishment of NWFP as a separate province in 1901.
After
the establishment of NWFP in 1901, the next change in the boundaries of Punjab
came in 1911, when the government of the British India, decided to move the
capital from Calcutta to Delhi. After the shift of capital, former district of
Delhi was separated from Punjab. Since then Delhi has remained a federally
administered area.
As
mentioned above after the mutiny a large area west of Jamuna river was annexed
to Punjab. But most of this area was not inhabited by Punjabis. In fact most of
this area was inhabited by people who speak a dialect of Hindi, called
Haryanvi. Almost 80% of the people living in the province of Punjab spoke
different dialects of Punjabi, while rest of them a dialect of Hindi, called
Haryanvi.
The above match shows the linguistic division of Punjab. The red area is New Delhi, separated from Punjab in 1911 and declared as the new capital of British India.
India
during the British Raj, administratively was a very complicated place. Besides 11
clumsily formed provinces, it had about 565 princely states. Some of them were quite
large, but many were so small that it was difficult to represent them even on a very large scale map. Biggest of these was Hyderabad with an area of 214,187 sq. km.
But almost 200 states had an area of less than 25 sq. Km. Together these states
covered approximately one third of the total area of India and housed one
fourth of the total population. If that was not enough many of these were
divided into several non contiguous tracts of lands. British Raj controlled these
states as the Paramount Power, through its officers called residents.
The above map shows the provinces of British India and also the areas covered by the Princely States. In addition to that it also shows the religious demographics of India.
Punjab province was no exception in this regard. It also contained 34 princely states, besides
the areas directly administered by the British.
The above map shows the location of British Administered districts and the Princely States, also depicting the religion of the rulers of the states.
This map shows the five administrative divisions of Punjab and respective religious composition, according to the census of 1941.
The
population of Punjab rose rapidly during the fifty years between 1891 - 1941.
But this growth in western Punjab was much faster as compare to the eastern
Punjab. Reason for this can be explained by the fact that great projects of irrigation were completed in western Punjab and hence a great progress was made in agricultural field in this
region, and "canal colonies" were established.
The above map shows the population growth in Punjab from 1891 - 1941.
British administration had been undertaking census since 1881 regularly in India. The last census in the British Raj was conducted in 1941.
The above
map shows the population density of tehsils of Punjab, according to the
census of 1941.
The census of 1941 was very important, because this was the last
census of united India and on the basis of this census Punjab and Bengal were
partitioned between India and Pakistan. In the following set of maps you can
see the distribution of population according to their religions. I do not claim
these maps to be 100% correct, as boundaries of some princely states are not
clear, but these give you a fairly accurate picture.
The above map shows the percentage of Muslim population of Punjab in tehsils, according to the census of 1941.
The above map shows the simple distribution of Muslim population of Punjab, according to the census of 1941.
The above map shows the percentage of Hindu population of Punjab in tehsils, according to the census of 1941.
The above map shows the percentage of Sikh population of Punjab in tehsils, according to the census of 1941.
The above map shows the simple distribution of Sikh population of Punjab, according to the census of 1941.
The above map shows the distribution of Christian population of Punjab, according to the census of 1941.
The last
map shows that most of the Christian population of Punjab was concentrated in
western Punjab. So when the question of the partition arose, they decided to
opt for Pakistan. They were just 1.44 % of the total population and were
insignificant in the total equation of Muslim and Hindu/Sikh population. But
there was one tehsil, that was Dasuya, where if they joined Muslims, the
balance turned in the favour of Muslims. In Dasuya Muslims were 48.35% and
Christians were 1.73%, so together they formed a majority of 50.08%.
In the above map you can see the claims of two parties. Red line shows the extent of Hindu/Sikh claim and green line shows the extent of Muslim/Christian claim.
In the map given above, I have further compared the territorial claims of both the parties.
Both parties presented some maps to support their respective claims. The above map was presented by the Muslim League to show some parts of tehsils where the Muslims were in majority.
When it
came clear that the partition was inevitable, the viceroy presented a Partition
Plan on June 3, 1947. According to this plan, Punjab was was divided in two
provinces of East Punjab and West Punjab. This partition was based on simple
district majorities of Muslims and non Muslims. The final partition was to be
dependent on the Radcliffe Award, so this division was called Notional Division.
The above map shows the Notional Division of Punjab based to district majorities of Muslims and non Muslims.
Sir Cyril Radcliffe was an English lawyer and was selected to head
the boundary commission to decide the border of Pakistan. The commission was set
up on 30 July and was given a deadline of 15 August, 1947, to announce its decision.
Muslims league nominated two Punjab High Court judges, Justice Din Muhammad and
Justice Muhammad Munir as the two members of this commission to fight its case.
While Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan and Justice Teja Singh represented Congress
and Sikhs, in this commission. Its terms of reference were defined as thus:
"The Boundary Commission is instructed to demarcate the
boundaries of the two parts of the Punjab on the basis of ascertaining the
contiguous majority areas of the Muslims and the non Muslims. In doing so it
will take into account other factors."
The commission had a very difficult and complicated task to
accomplish in a very limited time and that’s too in a very charged atmosphere. It
failed to satisfy anyone. The whole process was kept secret and the award was
not published until 17th August, 1947. The map given below will help you in making an opinion of your own.
The above map shows the distribution of population on the basis of religion in a great detail. It show Muslim/Christian majority tehsils and Hindu/Sikh majority tehsils. It also shows the 34 princely states of Punjab. Note that Muslims were in majority in just two states, ie. Bahawalpur and Kapurthala which was ruled by a Sikh Maharaja. The yellow line represents the final decision of the boundary commission. Click the map for a larger view.
The above map show that eventually how much area and population both the parties got.
The above map shows the tehisl of Kausr, in Lahore district. It was the only tehsil which was divided and the larger part was given to India, despite having a clear Muslim/Christian majority. Now that part forms tehsil of Patti of district Taran Taran (ترن تارن)in Indian Punjab.
The table below gives the religious demographic details of the cities and towns with the population of more than 9 thousands, according to the census of 1941.
City
|
Total
|
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikh
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
|
001
|
Hissar
|
28,618
|
11116
|
38.84
|
15,921
|
55.63
|
390
|
1.36
|
166
|
0.58
|
002
|
Hansi
|
22,590
|
10166
|
45.00
|
10,752
|
47.60
|
80
|
0.35
|
36
|
0.16
|
003
|
Bhiwani
|
43,921
|
9316
|
21.21
|
33,774
|
76.90
|
360
|
0.82
|
160
|
0.36
|
004
|
Sirsa
|
20,718
|
6368
|
30.74
|
13,083
|
63.15
|
831
|
4.01
|
72
|
0.35
|
005
|
Rohtak
|
48,148
|
25129
|
52.19
|
20,458
|
42.49
|
315
|
0.65
|
63
|
0.13
|
006
|
Jhajhar
|
13,919
|
7188
|
51.64
|
6,576
|
47.24
|
80
|
0.57
|
2
|
0.01
|
007
|
Meham
|
11,145
|
6170
|
55.36
|
4,920
|
44.15
|
8
|
0.07
|
0
|
0.00
|
008
|
Sonipat
|
17,781
|
8933
|
50.24
|
7,706
|
43.34
|
226
|
1.27
|
13
|
0.07
|
009
|
Hidayatpur
|
9,945
|
3758
|
37.79
|
5,434
|
54.64
|
144
|
1.45
|
296
|
2.98
|
010
|
Palwal
|
13,606
|
4404
|
32.37
|
8,831
|
64.91
|
30
|
0.22
|
244
|
1.79
|
011
|
Rewari
|
30,673
|
15605
|
50.88
|
14,058
|
45.83
|
46
|
0.15
|
101
|
0.33
|
012
|
Karnal
|
37,444
|
15844
|
42.31
|
20,462
|
54.65
|
647
|
1.73
|
125
|
0.33
|
013
|
Panipat
|
37,837
|
28371
|
74.98
|
8,584
|
22.69
|
90
|
0.24
|
12
|
0.03
|
014
|
Kaithal
|
22,325
|
10263
|
45.97
|
11,593
|
51.93
|
261
|
1.17
|
49
|
0.22
|
015
|
Shahabad
|
14,745
|
10096
|
68.47
|
4,000
|
27.13
|
643
|
4.36
|
2
|
0.01
|
016
|
Ambala
|
44,964
|
25913
|
57.63
|
16,040
|
35.67
|
1581
|
3.52
|
348
|
0.77
|
017
|
Ambala
C
|
29,191
|
10431
|
35.73
|
14,768
|
50.59
|
2456
|
8.41
|
617
|
2.11
|
018
|
Kalka
|
9,766
|
3129
|
32.04
|
5,766
|
59.04
|
660
|
6.76
|
71
|
0.73
|
019
|
Jagadhri
|
16,422
|
4958
|
30.19
|
10,906
|
66.41
|
208
|
1.27
|
180
|
1.10
|
020
|
Rupar
|
10,385
|
5300
|
51.04
|
3,354
|
32.30
|
1262
|
12.15
|
158
|
1.52
|
021
|
Simla
|
18,348
|
5651
|
30.80
|
11,173
|
60.89
|
751
|
4.09
|
349
|
1.90
|
022
|
Dharmsala
|
9,653
|
1294
|
13.41
|
8,024
|
83.12
|
229
|
2.37
|
62
|
0.64
|
023
|
Hoshiarpur
|
35,345
|
16834
|
47.63
|
15,478
|
43.79
|
2242
|
6.34
|
252
|
0.71
|
024
|
Dasuya
|
9,206
|
6595
|
71.64
|
2,400
|
26.07
|
163
|
1.77
|
44
|
0.48
|
025
|
Urmar
Tanda
|
12,734
|
8,037
|
63.11
|
3,687
|
28.95
|
797
|
6.26
|
51
|
0.40
|
026
|
Jullundur
|
135,283
|
80,242
|
59.31
|
48375
|
35.76
|
4,676
|
3.46
|
977
|
0.72
|
027
|
Kartarpur
|
12,150
|
4,522
|
37.22
|
6362
|
52.36
|
1,250
|
10.29
|
16
|
0.13
|
028
|
Nawanshahr
|
10,275
|
2,950
|
28.71
|
6552
|
63.77
|
689
|
6.71
|
1
|
0.01
|
029
|
Banga
|
9,112
|
1,976
|
21.69
|
4832
|
53.03
|
1,949
|
21.39
|
4
|
0.04
|
030
|
Phillaur
|
9,011
|
4,918
|
54.58
|
3574
|
39.66
|
479
|
5.32
|
34
|
0.38
|
031
|
Nakodar
|
10,981
|
5,322
|
48.47
|
4385
|
39.93
|
358
|
3.26
|
-
|
0.00
|
032
|
Ludhiana
|
11,639
|
70,182
|
62.87
|
34704
|
31.09
|
5,273
|
4.72
|
596
|
0.53
|
033
|
Jagraon
|
26,704
|
14,004
|
52.44
|
9341
|
34.98
|
3,096
|
11.59
|
72
|
0.27
|
034
|
Raikot
|
13,777
|
9,344
|
67.82
|
3063
|
22.23
|
892
|
6.47
|
-
|
0.00
|
035
|
Ferozepore
|
82,502
|
38,390
|
46.53
|
34543
|
41.87
|
6,457
|
7.83
|
900
|
1.09
|
036
|
Moga
|
27,785
|
7,016
|
25.25
|
11,790
|
42.43
|
8,477
|
30.51
|
490
|
1.76
|
037
|
Muktsar
|
20,651
|
5,340
|
25.86
|
10,015
|
48.50
|
5,121
|
24.80
|
31
|
0.15
|
038
|
Fazilka
|
28,262
|
8,246
|
29.18
|
18,771
|
66.42
|
1,107
|
3.92
|
25
|
0.09
|
039
|
Abohar
|
21,222
|
5216
|
24.58
|
14,980
|
70.59
|
846
|
3.99
|
59
|
0.28
|
040
|
Lahore
|
671,659
|
433,170
|
64.49
|
179,422
|
26.71
|
34,021
|
5.07
|
21,495
|
3.20
|
041
|
Chunian
|
10,093
|
5,292
|
52.43
|
4,329
|
42.89
|
472
|
4.68
|
-
|
0.00
|
042
|
Mandi
Pattoki
|
1,114
|
2,641
|
23.76
|
6,227
|
56.03
|
2,083
|
18.74
|
163
|
1.47
|
043
|
Kasur
|
53,101
|
39,295
|
74.00
|
10,752
|
20.25
|
2,034
|
3.83
|
562
|
1.06
|
044
|
Patti
|
17,595
|
12,879
|
73.20
|
2,823
|
16.04
|
1,495
|
8.50
|
37
|
0.21
|
045
|
Amritsar
|
391,010
|
184,055
|
47.07
|
44,522
|
36.96
|
58,769
|
15.03
|
2,611
|
0.67
|
046
|
Jandiala
|
11,520
|
6,893
|
59.84
|
2,691
|
23.36
|
1,004
|
8.72
|
75
|
0.65
|
047
|
Majitha
|
9,004
|
5,200
|
57.75
|
2,061
|
22.89
|
1,655
|
18.38
|
38
|
0.42
|
048
|
Tarn
Taran
|
16,607
|
7,006
|
42.19
|
3,796
|
22.86
|
5,520
|
33.24
|
279
|
1.68
|
049
|
Gurdaspur
|
6,641
|
8,263
|
49.65
|
5,920
|
35.57
|
1,711
|
10.28
|
721
|
4.33
|
050
|
Batala
|
44,458
|
29,859
|
67.16
|
12,043
|
27.09
|
2,109
|
4.74
|
446
|
1.00
|
051
|
Pathankot
|
12,354
|
6,716
|
54.36
|
4,833
|
39.12
|
406
|
3.29
|
379
|
3.07
|
052
|
Sialkot
|
138,708
|
90,706
|
65.39
|
29,662
|
21.38
|
8,431
|
6.08
|
5,157
|
3.72
|
053
|
Pasrur
|
10,523
|
7,586
|
72.09
|
1,937
|
18.41
|
205
|
1.95
|
689
|
6.55
|
054
|
Narowal
|
12,021
|
6,759
|
56.23
|
2,863
|
23.82
|
1,301
|
10.82
|
854
|
7.10
|
055
|
Daska
|
13,719
|
7,394
|
53.90
|
3,279
|
23.90
|
2,249
|
16.39
|
719
|
5.24
|
056
|
Gujranwala
|
84,545
|
45,904
|
54.30
|
24,378
|
28.83
|
11016
|
13.03
|
1,893
|
2.24
|
057
|
Kamonki
|
11,602
|
3,575
|
30.81
|
5,177
|
44.62
|
2445
|
21.07
|
405
|
3.49
|
058
|
Wazirabad
|
27,079
|
19,132
|
70.65
|
5,739
|
21.19
|
1359
|
5.02
|
845
|
3.12
|
059
|
Hafizabad
|
17,093
|
9,727
|
56.91
|
5,660
|
33.11
|
1080
|
6.32
|
610
|
3.57
|
060
|
Sheikhupura
|
22,272
|
10,755
|
48.29
|
7,070
|
31.74
|
3609
|
16.20
|
829
|
3.72
|
061
|
Nankana
Sahib
|
12,981
|
2,900
|
22.34
|
4,440
|
34.20
|
5427
|
41.81
|
206
|
1.59
|
062
|
Gujrat
|
30,899
|
24,681
|
79.88
|
5,011
|
16.22
|
630
|
2.04
|
553
|
1.79
|
063
|
Jalalpur
Jattan
|
16,663
|
12,779
|
76.69
|
3,524
|
21.15
|
149
|
0.89
|
211
|
1.27
|
064
|
Lala
Musa
|
12,163
|
6,484
|
53.31
|
3,615
|
29.72
|
1833
|
15.07
|
231
|
1.90
|
065
|
M. Bahauddin
|
12,752
|
2,269
|
17.79
|
6,146
|
48.20
|
4277
|
33.54
|
61
|
0.48
|
066
|
Khushab
|
17,141
|
13,609
|
79.39
|
3,044
|
17.76
|
479
|
2.79
|
7
|
0.04
|
067
|
Bhera
|
20,219
|
15,489
|
76.61
|
4,388
|
21.70
|
335
|
1.66
|
6
|
0.03
|
068
|
Sargodha
|
36,420
|
12,060
|
33.11
|
7,405
|
47.79
|
5920
|
16.25
|
998
|
2.74
|
069
|
Jhelum
|
33,191
|
19,416
|
58.50
|
8,936
|
26.92
|
3950
|
11.90
|
619
|
1.86
|
070
|
P. Dadan Khan
|
11,445
|
7,803
|
68.18
|
3,318
|
28.99
|
305
|
2.66
|
6
|
0.05
|
071
|
Chakwal
|
11,835
|
6,684
|
56.48
|
2,799
|
23.65
|
2388
|
20.18
|
40
|
0.34
|
072
|
Rawalpindi
|
185,042
|
81,038
|
43.79
|
62,393
|
33.72
|
32054
|
17.32
|
3,668
|
1.98
|
073
|
Cambellpur
|
13,999
|
7,408
|
52.92
|
4,312
|
30.80
|
2031
|
14.51
|
223
|
1.59
|
074
|
Hazro
|
11,186
|
7,411
|
66.25
|
2,752
|
24.60
|
1013
|
9.06
|
10
|
0.09
|
075
|
Pindigheb
|
12,641
|
8,708
|
68.89
|
3,007
|
23.79
|
924
|
7.31
|
2
|
0.02
|
076
|
Mianwali
|
22,825
|
13,041
|
57.13
|
8,940
|
39.17
|
633
|
2.77
|
210
|
0.92
|
077
|
Bhakkar
|
9,006
|
4,060
|
45.08
|
2,712
|
30.11
|
173
|
1.92
|
18
|
0.20
|
078
|
Montgomery
|
38,345
|
14,860
|
38.75
|
17,435
|
45.47
|
5,254
|
13.70
|
746
|
1.95
|
079
|
Okara
|
19,315
|
5,216
|
27.00
|
10,378
|
53.73
|
3,113
|
16.12
|
601
|
3.11
|
080
|
Pakpattan
|
17,852
|
9,516
|
53.30
|
7,432
|
41.63
|
839
|
4.70
|
55
|
0.31
|
081
|
Lyallpur
|
69,930
|
23,003
|
32.89
|
32,896
|
47.04
|
10,897
|
15.58
|
3,027
|
4.33
|
082
|
Gojra
|
12,964
|
3,253
|
25.09
|
6,891
|
53.15
|
1,302
|
10.04
|
1,167
|
9.00
|
083
|
Kamalia
|
14,295
|
6,011
|
42.05
|
6,906
|
48.31
|
1,459
|
10.21
|
75
|
0.52
|
084
|
Jaranwala
|
9,833
|
2,534
|
25.77
|
5,693
|
57.90
|
2,215
|
22.53
|
67
|
0.68
|
085
|
Jhang
|
50,051
|
24,506
|
48.96
|
23,246
|
46.44
|
217
|
0.43
|
39
|
0.08
|
086
|
Chiniot
|
34,437
|
23,050
|
66.93
|
11,158
|
32.40
|
58
|
0.17
|
12
|
0.03
|
087
|
Multan
|
142,768
|
81,393
|
57.01
|
56,477
|
39.56
|
2,665
|
1.87
|
680
|
0.48
|
088
|
Kahror
|
11,348
|
4,620
|
40.71
|
6,701
|
59.05
|
26
|
0.23
|
-
|
0.00
|
089
|
Khanewal
|
17,036
|
5,710
|
33.52
|
9,283
|
54.49
|
1,664
|
9.77
|
278
|
1.63
|
090
|
Leiah
|
13,087
|
7,372
|
56.33
|
5,683
|
43.42
|
28
|
0.21
|
4
|
0.03
|
091
|
D. Ghazi Khan
|
32,139
|
18,810
|
58.53
|
12,989
|
40.42
|
157
|
0.49
|
37
|
0.12
|
092
|
Jampur
|
11,862
|
7,975
|
67.23
|
2,260
|
19.05
|
24
|
0.20
|
3
|
0.03
|
093
|
Mandi
|
9,033
|
333
|
3.69
|
8,218
|
90.98
|
141
|
1.56
|
-
|
0.00
|
094
|
Kapurthala
|
26,067
|
15,093
|
57.90
|
8,968
|
34.40
|
1,594
|
6.12
|
20
|
0.08
|
095
|
Sultanpur
|
10,168
|
6,203
|
61.01
|
3,394
|
33.38
|
470
|
4.62
|
-
|
0.00
|
096
|
Phagwara
|
16,194
|
4,724
|
29.17
|
8,256
|
50.98
|
2,355
|
14.54
|
11
|
0.07
|
097
|
Maler
Kotla
|
29,321
|
22,296
|
76.04
|
6,270
|
21.38
|
456
|
1.56
|
39
|
0.13
|
098
|
Faridkot
|
20,375
|
10,228
|
50.20
|
4,742
|
23.27
|
4,608
|
22.62
|
50
|
0.25
|
099
|
Kot
Kapura
|
20,584
|
8,107
|
39.38
|
7,280
|
35.37
|
5,154
|
25.04
|
35
|
0.17
|
100
|
Patiala
|
69,850
|
26,116
|
37.39
|
27,361
|
39.17
|
5,894
|
22.75
|
-
|
0.00
|
101
|
Bassi
|
14,400
|
9,742
|
67.65
|
3,978
|
27.63
|
680
|
4.72
|
-
|
0.00
|
102
|
Samana
|
14,912
|
11,037
|
74.01
|
3,701
|
24.82
|
130
|
0.87
|
3
|
0.02
|
103
|
Sunam
|
14,187
|
5,329
|
37.56
|
5,166
|
36.41
|
3,439
|
24.24
|
17
|
0.12
|
104
|
Barnala
|
12,341
|
2,848
|
23.08
|
4,734
|
38.36
|
4,688
|
37.99
|
6
|
0.05
|
105
|
Bhatinda
|
24,833
|
8,431
|
33.95
|
9,828
|
39.58
|
5,645
|
22.73
|
-
|
0.00
|
106
|
Narnaul
|
23,063
|
9,750
|
42.28
|
8,080
|
35.03
|
81
|
0.35
|
2
|
0.01
|
107
|
Mohindargarh
|
9,771
|
4,492
|
45.97
|
5,180
|
53.01
|
98
|
1.00
|
1
|
0.01
|
108
|
Sangur
|
17,132
|
3,182
|
18.57
|
8,211
|
47.93
|
3,198
|
18.67
|
59
|
0.34
|
109
|
Jind
|
14,909
|
4,934
|
33.09
|
9,326
|
62.55
|
256
|
1.72
|
22
|
0.15
|
110
|
Nabha
|
22,625
|
8,942
|
39.52
|
9,735
|
43.03
|
2,307
|
10.20
|
12
|
0.05
|
111
|
Phul
|
9,515
|
1,480
|
15.55
|
5,854
|
61.52
|
1,324
|
13.91
|
7
|
0.07
|
112
|
Jaitu
|
11,435
|
2,450
|
21.43
|
5,776
|
50.51
|
3,174
|
27.76
|
0.00
|
|
113
|
Dhanaula
|
9,560
|
3,244
|
33.93
|
2,356
|
24.64
|
3,960
|
41.42
|
-
|
0.00
|
114
|
Bahwalpur
|
40,015
|
28,946
|
72.34
|
10,836
|
27.08
|
208
|
0.52
|
25
|
0.06
|
115
|
Ahmadpur
East
|
12,255
|
6,920
|
56.47
|
5,303
|
43.27
|
32
|
0.26
|
-
|
0.00
|
While
doing my research I noted many points that startled me, and I felt that the
allegations of unfair award of the boundary commission and favouring India on
this account, have solid grounds.
1. Eight Muslim/Christian majority tehsils that were contiguous to Pakistan
were given to India, on the pretext of "other factors".
2. Not a single non Muslim majority tehsil was given to Pakistan.
3. A large part of Kausr tehsil was awarded to India on the flimsy
ground of protecting Amritsar city.
4. Due to the above mentioned reasons, state of Kapurthala, with clear
Muslim majority and surrounded by Muslim majority tehsils, fell into India.
Tehsil
|
ArKm2
|
Population
|
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikhs
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
Dasuya
|
1,298
|
273,246
|
132,105
|
48.35
|
95,572
|
34.98
|
40,509
|
14.83
|
4,729
|
1.7
|
Jullundur
|
1,008
|
443,010
|
226,623
|
51.16
|
123,718
|
27.93
|
86,996
|
19.64
|
4,656
|
1.05
|
Nakodar
|
945
|
228,783
|
135,918
|
59.41
|
39,766
|
17.38
|
52,037
|
22.75
|
929
|
0.41
|
Ferozepore
|
1,761
|
290,286
|
160,371
|
55.25
|
53,520
|
18.44
|
70,782
|
24.38
|
3,847
|
1.33
|
Zira
|
1,279
|
210,819
|
137,586
|
65.26
|
18,863
|
8.95
|
50,209
|
23.82
|
3,801
|
1.80
|
Ajnala
|
1,083
|
237,049
|
140,939
|
59.46
|
15,415
|
6.50
|
67,986
|
28.68
|
12,708
|
5.36
|
Gurdaspur
|
1,287
|
328,819
|
171,498
|
52.16
|
57,281
|
17.42
|
76,695
|
23.32
|
22,506
|
6.84
|
Batala
|
1,235
|
380,053
|
209,277
|
55.07
|
33,610
|
8.84
|
116,413
|
30.63
|
20,670
|
5.44
|
Kapurthala
|
1,712
|
378,380
|
213,754
|
56.49
|
61,546
|
16.27
|
88,350
|
23.35
|
1,643
|
0.43
|
Total
|
11,608
|
2,770,445
|
1,528,071
|
55.16
|
499,291
|
18.02
|
649,977
|
23.46
|
75,489
|
2.72
|
The above table clearly
shows that the in these 9 units, Muslims/Christians had a clear majority of
57.88%, against Hindus/Sikhs population of 41.5%. But the question arises that
in case all these tehsils were awarded to Pakistan, two non Muslim majority
tehsils of Amritsar and Taran Taran would have formed an enclave inside
Pakistan. First, these two tehsils were not contiguous to other non Muslim
areas. Second even if they have fallen in Pakistan, the Muslim population was
so large, that the whole block (consider the above area as Block A) would have still retained Muslim majority. As
the table below shows:
Tehsil
|
ArKm2
|
Population
|
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikhs
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
Block A
|
11,608
|
2,770,380
|
1,528,071
|
55.16
|
499,291
|
18.02
|
649,977
|
23.46
|
75,489
|
2.72
|
Amritsar
|
1,414
|
789,159
|
359,025
|
45.49
|
175,771
|
22.27
|
243,297
|
30.83
|
8,948
|
1.14
|
Taran Taran
|
1,546
|
387,668
|
157,731
|
40.69
|
26,245
|
6.77
|
199,562
|
51.48
|
3,654
|
0.94
|
Total
|
14,658
|
3,947,207
|
2,044,827
|
51.80
|
701,307
|
17.77
|
1,092,836
|
27.69
|
88,091
|
2.23
|
There is one more point worth noting that tehsil Ferozepore consisted of two non contiguous part. It had an enclave of Nathana, which was a considerable area, in 1959 it was transferred to district Bathinda. Nathana and surrounding areas were predominantly non Muslims. I don't have figures for these two parts (Ferozepore & Nathana) separately, but I am sure that if we take the figures of Ferozepore proper only, the Muslim majority in this area must had been greater than 55.25%, which is for the whole tehsil, like neighbouring Zira (65.26%), or even more.
There as another point
which caught my attention is that Sikhs tried to to portray themselves as
the worst victims of this partition which cut their community into two halves.
They still stress upon this point. But that is not the truth. Here too Muslims
were the worst effected, as the figures given below show:
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikhs
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
|
Falling in Pakistan
|
12,600,912
|
69.71
|
2,307,435
|
22.39
|
1,365,288
|
26.90
|
340,860
|
72.54
|
Falling in India
|
5,474,625
|
30.29
|
7,995,952
|
77.61
|
3,709,518
|
73.10
|
129,053
|
27.46
|
So of all the communities Muslims had the highest percentage to fall on the wrong side of the new border. Actually this
misunderstanding on part of Sikhs is probably due to the fact that while calculating their population
they take figures of population falling only in British administered areas and
ignore the population living in the princely states, where a large proportion
of Sikhs lived.
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikhs
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
|
The whole Punjab
|
18,259,744
|
53.22
|
10,336,549
|
30.13
|
5,115,185
|
14.91
|
493,081
|
1.44
|
British
Punjab
|
16,217,242
|
57.07
|
7,894,087
|
27.78
|
3,757,401,
|
13.22
|
486,038
|
1.71
|
Princely States
|
2,042,744
|
34.67
|
2,442,942
|
41.46
|
1,358,784
|
23.07
|
7,043
|
0.12
|
As I mentioned above a large part in the eastern Punjab and Himalayan mountains was populated by Hindi/Urdu speaking people. Which were about 20 per cent of the total population of Punjab. The following table shows the religious composition based on language spoken by the people.
Muslims
|
%
|
Hindus
|
%
|
Sikhs
|
%
|
Christians
|
%
|
|
The whole Punjab
|
18,259,744
|
53.22
|
10,336,549
|
30.13
|
5,115,185
|
14.91
|
493,083
|
1.44
|
Punjabi Speaking
|
16,827,041
|
61.97
|
4,841,874
|
17.83
|
4,916,950
|
18.11
|
485,292
|
1.79
|
Hindi/Urdu Speak.
|
1,432,708
|
20.00
|
5,490,353
|
76.63
|
199,234
|
2.78
|
8,789
|
0.12
|
The above given table shows a very interesting fact that the of the Punjabi nation 62% were Muslim according to the census of 1941, while Sikhs and Hindus were almost equal, with Sikhs slightly bigger percentage.
After doing all this research, collecting data and making maps, I kept on thinking that what should have been a more just and fair award? Or what would have been my decision? So I came up with the following map:
If I were to decide the partition, I would have allocated some additional areas, shaded in light blue.
The basic rationale behind this proposal is to give Amritsar, being the holiest place for Sikhs, to India. While giving most of the Muslim majority areas to Pakistan, including some other areas in lieu of Muslim majority areas in Bist Doab. This additional territory I have marked with light blue colour.
You are most welcome to send me you own suggestions, of course with reasons and arguments. I shall put them on this blog with your name and place. Sure this invitation is to my friends on the "other side" of the Radcliffe Line as well. Similarly I shall appreciate your suggestions to improve this article further or pointing out any inaccuracies.
Tariq Amir
23 October, 2014.
Doha - Qatar