Q.1. Examine critically the Radcliff’s Award with special reference to Punjab.
Radcliff’s Award (August 16, 1947)
The Indian Independence Act, 1947, provided among the provisions the appointment of two Boundary Commissions for the division of Punjab and Bengal between Pakistan and India. Each boundary commission was to consist of an equal number of representatives of India and Pakistan and of one or more impartial members. Accordingly, Sir Cyril Radcliff was appointed as the chairman of both boundary commissions who would have the poor to make the Award. The members of the Punjab Boundary Commission were Din Mohammad and Mohammad Munir on behalf of Pakistan, and Mehar Chand Mahajan and Tej Singh on behalf of India. The members of the Bengal Boundary Commission were Abu Saleh Mohammad Akram and S.A. Rahman on behalf of Pakistan and C.C.Biswas and B.K.Mukherjee on behalf of India. All of them were High Court Judges.
The members of the commission had acute differences of opinion regarding the setting up of the boundaries. It was then mutually agreed that in case of conflict the chairman should give his verdict. Here again the Muslim League was made to play a losers game. Radcliff gave his verdict in favor of India and against the interest of Pakistan. In consultation with Mountbatten the partial arbitrator sliced away further areas from Pakistan and handed them over to the Hindus. As for an illustration, in Gurdaspur District of Punjab, the distribution of population was as follows (1941 Census Report):
Mr. Din Mohammad, one of Pakistan’s representatives on Boundary Commission stated before the West Pakistan High Court on 24th April, 1958, that Sir Cyril Radcliff, Chairmanof the Boundary Commission, had awarded Ferozpur, Ferozpur Head-works and some other areas to West Punjab, but consequently that Award was altered. This was later confirmed by another member of the Boundary Commission, Chief Justice Mohammad Munir in the Course of a speech on 22nd April, 1960, he said
I was told by Radcliff in the most unequivocal terms that three Tehsils of Ferozpur, probably, Zira and Fazika, were coming to Pakistan and that it was unnecessary for me to discuss this part of the case with him.
In Bengal, by for the most important question was related to the future of the great city of Calcutta. It was the capital of the province, its only major port, and its centre of industry, commerce, communication and education. In the city of Calcutta itself, Muslims formed only a quarter of the population, but the hinterland, on which the life of Calcutta as a city and port depended and of which it formed an integral part, was a Muslim majority areas. But Radcliff assigned Calcutta to India, and along with Calcutta, he also assigned to India the whole of the Muslim majority district of Murshidabad and the greater part of the Muslim majority district of India. Nearly 6,000 square miles of territory with a population of 3.5 million Muslims that had been provisionally assigned to East Bengal were severed from it and transferred to West Bengal.
The result was disastrous. The major part of the irrigated areas went to Pakistan, but the headwords of some of the largest canals were left with India. Similarly the award of Gurdaspur District to India was most unkind. The basic unit in the partition was the district and, according to 1941 census, Gurdaspur, was a Muslim-majority district. Had the district been awarded to Pakistan, there would have been to Kashmir dispute. On 30 October, 1947, Mr. Jinnah felt so pained that he said
We have been the victims of a deep-laid and well-planned conspiracy, executed with utter disregard of the elementary principles of honesty, chivalry and honor.
The Indian Independence Act, 1947, provided among the provisions the appointment of two Boundary Commissions for the division of Punjab and Bengal between Pakistan and India. Each boundary commission was to consist of an equal number of representatives of India and Pakistan and of one or more impartial members. Accordingly, Sir Cyril Radcliff was appointed as the chairman of both boundary commissions who would have the poor to make the Award. The members of the Punjab Boundary Commission were Din Mohammad and Mohammad Munir on behalf of Pakistan, and Mehar Chand Mahajan and Tej Singh on behalf of India. The members of the Bengal Boundary Commission were Abu Saleh Mohammad Akram and S.A. Rahman on behalf of Pakistan and C.C.Biswas and B.K.Mukherjee on behalf of India. All of them were High Court Judges.
The members of the commission had acute differences of opinion regarding the setting up of the boundaries. It was then mutually agreed that in case of conflict the chairman should give his verdict. Here again the Muslim League was made to play a losers game. Radcliff gave his verdict in favor of India and against the interest of Pakistan. In consultation with Mountbatten the partial arbitrator sliced away further areas from Pakistan and handed them over to the Hindus. As for an illustration, in Gurdaspur District of Punjab, the distribution of population was as follows (1941 Census Report):
- Hindus 21.2%
- Sikhs 19.2%
- Muslims 51.1%
- Indian Christians 4.4%
- Scheduled Castes (Non-Hindus) 4.0%
Mr. Din Mohammad, one of Pakistan’s representatives on Boundary Commission stated before the West Pakistan High Court on 24th April, 1958, that Sir Cyril Radcliff, Chairmanof the Boundary Commission, had awarded Ferozpur, Ferozpur Head-works and some other areas to West Punjab, but consequently that Award was altered. This was later confirmed by another member of the Boundary Commission, Chief Justice Mohammad Munir in the Course of a speech on 22nd April, 1960, he said
I was told by Radcliff in the most unequivocal terms that three Tehsils of Ferozpur, probably, Zira and Fazika, were coming to Pakistan and that it was unnecessary for me to discuss this part of the case with him.
In Bengal, by for the most important question was related to the future of the great city of Calcutta. It was the capital of the province, its only major port, and its centre of industry, commerce, communication and education. In the city of Calcutta itself, Muslims formed only a quarter of the population, but the hinterland, on which the life of Calcutta as a city and port depended and of which it formed an integral part, was a Muslim majority areas. But Radcliff assigned Calcutta to India, and along with Calcutta, he also assigned to India the whole of the Muslim majority district of Murshidabad and the greater part of the Muslim majority district of India. Nearly 6,000 square miles of territory with a population of 3.5 million Muslims that had been provisionally assigned to East Bengal were severed from it and transferred to West Bengal.
The result was disastrous. The major part of the irrigated areas went to Pakistan, but the headwords of some of the largest canals were left with India. Similarly the award of Gurdaspur District to India was most unkind. The basic unit in the partition was the district and, according to 1941 census, Gurdaspur, was a Muslim-majority district. Had the district been awarded to Pakistan, there would have been to Kashmir dispute. On 30 October, 1947, Mr. Jinnah felt so pained that he said
We have been the victims of a deep-laid and well-planned conspiracy, executed with utter disregard of the elementary principles of honesty, chivalry and honor.
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