Question

Compare the map of British India with that of independent India and find out the areas that became parts of Pakistan. Why were those parts so important to India from the economic point of view? (Refer, to your advantage, Dr Rajendra Prasad’s book, India Divided).

Answer 1

1. At the time of Partition in 1947, the western parts of British India that became part of Pakistan included West Punjab, Sindh, the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan.
2. These regions contained large areas of fertile agricultural land, especially in Punjab and Sindh.
3. They were important producers of wheat, cotton and other crops.
4. The Indus River and its canal system provided extensive irrigation facilities to these areas.
5. Important trade routes connecting India with Central and West Asia passed through the north-western region.
6. Karachi was an important port and commercial centre, and it became part of Pakistan after Partition.
7. The loss of these areas affected India’s access to some agricultural resources, irrigation networks and trade routes.
8. Partition also divided markets, transport systems and economic links that had developed during British rule.

Thus, the western regions that became Pakistan were economically important because of their fertile land, agricultural production, irrigation systems, trade routes and the port of Karachi. Their separation created major economic difficulties for both India and Pakistan after Partition.