Page 99 - 100 Events That Made History

Partition and independence
Lord Louis Mountbatten, Britain’s top
representative in India, was in charge of India’s
PARTITION (splitting in two). On August 14, 1947,
he handed over a Muslim homeland made up
of regions in the northwest and northeast of India,
called Pakistan, to Jinnah, its new leader. The
next day, the area left became the independent
state of India, with Nehru as its leader.

Millions on the move
The partitioning led to the greatest mass-
migration of people in history. About
7 million Hindus and Sikhs fled Pakistan for
India, while about the same number of
Muslims went the other way. They went on
foot, in carts, and on trains. A million people
lost their lives in RIOTS, while many others
died from hunger, thirst, or exhaustion.
Lord Mountbatten had Ordinary people on both
fought for Britain in
World War II. sides gave up their homes
to escape potential
religious oppression.

How it changed the world
India is now the world’s
second-largest country
by population, with
a fast-growing economy.
It is also the world’s
largest democracy.
The relationship
between India
and Pakistan
has been very tense,
with occasional
outbreaks of fighting.

What came after…

Kashmir had the choice of West and East Pakistan were
joining India or Pakistan. Its 870 miles (1,700 km) apart.
Hindu ruler, MAHARAJAH HARI In 1971, civil war broke out
SINGH, chose India, but its people between the two. After the
were mostly Muslim. India and war ended, East Pakistan
Pakistan warred over Kashmir in became a new, separate
1947–48 and again in 1965. country, BANGLADESH.
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