Why was Pakistan faced with a refugee problem in 1947? [7]
First, the partition of British India into Pakistan and India in 1947 led to one of the largest mass migrations in human history. Muslims living in India feared persecution and violence from Hindu and Sikh communities, causing millions to flee towards the newly created Pakistan. This sudden influx of refugees, known as Muhajirs, put immense pressure on Pakistan's limited resources and infrastructure. Second, the violence and communal riots that erupted during partition forced many Muslims to abandon their homes, businesses, and properties in India. Cities and villages across Punjab and Bengal became battlegrounds of sectarian violence. As news of massacres spread, Muslim families had no choice but to leave everything behind and seek safety in Pakistan, often arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs. Third, the lack of proper planning and administrative infrastructure for handling such a massive population exchange created chaos. The British authorities and local governments were unprepared for the scale of migration. Pakistan, as a newly formed state, lacked adequate facilities, housing, and resources to accommodate millions of refugees. This administrative weakness, combined with the speed and scale of migration, led to severe humanitarian challenges including food shortages, disease outbreaks, and overcrowded refugee camps.
SOLUTION: Jinnah realised and immediately paid attention towards setting up the proper administrativ system. Liaqat ali khan who was a qualified experienced politician was made the prime minister and a cabinet was formed under him. Karachi was made the capital. the vacancies in the government were filled by british officers who were retired from indian civil service. as there was shortage of offices, only senior officers dealing with special subject were accomodated in one office together to make the administrative body run efficiently 2. division of financial assets: when pakistan and india were divided, it was decided that assets of british india wud be divided in the ratio of 17 to india and 5 to pakistan, as a result Pakistan was to recieve 750million ruppees, intially India gave 200 million rs, but then war over kashmir broke out and india refused to pay further amount saying pak wud use it against india. india said it wud release the money on the condition that pakistan stopped helping freedom fighter in kashmir and agreed that kashmir was part of india. this put enormous strain on pakistan.
solution: Jinnah persuaded indian govt and gandhi agreed, as a result 500 mil rs were released. state bank of pakistan was also set up in 1948 to handle monetary matters of pakistan 3. division of the armed forces and military assets: India did not sent Pakistan its agreed and promised share of military assets because she thought it would be used against her. When they reached Pakistan, much of the assets, were obsolete or out of order. Further, Pakistan had no ordinance factories capable of producing military equipments. All 16 ordnance factories were in India, and it refused to hand over any. So, under this situation pakistan neither could produce new weapons nor repair its old weapons. It was a serious issue when Pakistan was struggling for its survival. Moreover, at the time of partition the armed forces were given freedom to join either India or Pakistan. in British army Muslim regiments were less in numbers so only 150,000 became part of Pakistan which were not enough in number to defend such a large country especially divided in two wings. Further, 4,000 officers were needed for this army but there were only 2500 officers. So, Pakistan started its existence with a seriously under-resourced military force.
Solution: Trains from India carried Pakistan's supposed shared of military assets. Although mostly were damaged but army got few weapons. urgent plans were made for an ordnance factory to set up. Pakistan government ,persuaded India and eventually India agreed to, pay 60 million rupees in place of handling over ordinance factories and this was used to set-up an ordnance factory at Wah. to overcome the shortage armed forces and officers, jinnah hired 500 British officers temporarily. They were mostly of the highest ranks. For example the head of the three armed services were British. Government of Pakistan needed the best army it could raise, no matter who was leading it. A military academy was set up at Kakul, and a number of training institutions, the army, navy, and air force were established. As a result, it laid the foundation of one of the The of the best armies in the world, 4. Refugee Problem: partition was followed by history's greatest migration.Nearly 20 million people left their home, land, and business to seek safety and About a million men, women and children died as a result of the violence that took place. Attacks on trains and caravans of refugees led to a cycle of unprecedented violence. Resettling the millions of refugees who had lost everything they had, including friends, and relatives, was a difficult and expensive problems for both countries, especially Pakistan. These refugees needed food, shelter, clothing and medicines but Pakistan as a new and not wealthy country, did not have the necessary facilities to fulfil the requirements of the refugees.
Solution: Quaid-i-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) created a Relief Fund and asked wealthy people to donate generously. To quicken the process of settlement, he traveled to different areas and frequently visited refugee camps. In 1947, he established a government department dedicated to helping refugees. Quaid-i-Azam also urged local residents to share food and clothing with the newcomers. To prevent religious conflicts, he declared himself 'Protector-General' of religious minorities. Importantly, he emphasized that Islamic principles of justice and equality required fair treatment of non-Muslims who chose to stay in Pakistan. These actions helped settle refugees and promoted a culture of tolerance in the country. 5. Canal water Dispute: The canal water dispute was a serious issue between Pakistan and India after partition, with India controlling the water supply to Pakistan. This led to significant tensions between the two nations. However, by 1953, Pakistan accused India of reducing water flow. The situation remained tense until. Despite the treaty, some tensions over water resources continue to persist between Pakistan and India.
Solution: India in 1948 cut off water supplies to pakistan hence ****Pakistan called on to the International Court of Justice, but India declined this approach. In May 1948, a temporary agreement was reached where East Punjab (India) would continue to supply water to West Punjab (Pakistan) while Pakistan explored alternative water sources. in 1958 another temporary agreement was reached with the involvement of the World Bank. Finally, in September 1959, both countries signed the Indus Water Treaty, which largely resolved the problem.