The Partition of India: A Humanitarian Crisis

The Partition of India: A Humanitarian Crisis

One of the biggest events in the world and one of the most painful events of the twentieth century was the Partition of India in 1947, through which Britain divided India into two states, India and Pakistan. Despite the noble intention of ending religious and political insurgencies, the decision birthed a monster that collectively produced a massive humanitarian crisis that has left lives undone across millions of people. It provoked the biggest mass migration in history, which resulted in about 15 million people becoming refugees when Hindus and Sikhs fled to India, while Muslims moved to Pakistan. This migration was not without a bloodbath, as communal riots, mass murders, and attempted rapes of women took over Punjab and Bengal, and many other areas. Statistics show that it is nearly two million to one million people who died and untold numbers of families were torn apart, some of which never got back together again, to the deaths. Refugees had it hard; they lost their property, sources of income, and security, to mention but a few. They endured cramped railway carriages, ill-tent accommodations, and established camps, as well as poor supplies. Cognitive emotional interconnectedness, people who were uprooted, those who saw awful things – memories remained for generations. The partition not only sought to change political boundaries, but historical enmity instituted animosities between India and Pakistan affecting the geopolitics of South Asia. It is therefore important for people to appreciate this humanitarian crisis as a basis for building for forgiving such tragedies.