The creation of Pakistan was a great achievement for the Muslims of Subcontinent India. It was a dream of Muslims in the subcontinent to live freely from the British Indian government. After the struggle of many years and the sacrifice of thousands of people, Pakistan gained independence from British India. After its independence, Pakistan faced various problems/challenges. Which are discussed below.

What were the initial problems?

• Establishment of government and choice of Capital city.
• Unfair distribution of boundary.
• Financial assets and military divisions.
• The massacre of Muslim migrants from India.
• Settlement of refugees.
• The constitutional problems.
• Water Canal Dispute.
• Kashmir issue.
• The annexation of independent/ Princely states.

Establishment of government and choice of Capital city

In the beginning, there were many challenges, one of them was choosing the capital of the country and establishing a secretariat.  Karachi was chosen as the capital of the state, later on in 1967 it shifted to Islamabad. Quaid-e-Azam took charge of the Governor General, and Liaquat Ali Khan was appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan. Moreover, experienced bureaucrats were selected for the cabinet members.

Unfair Distribution of Boundary

The partition of British India led to the division of territories. A boundary commission was made and Sir Cyril Radcliffe was appointed as the chairman of the commission. He misused his powers and many Muslim-majority populated areas like Gurdaspur, Ferozpur, and Jullander were granted to India. Hence in this way, they provided a gate to the Indian government to enter Kashmir. 

Financial Assets and Military Divisions

After the independence, India tried every step to weaken Pakistan. When it came to the assets sharing time, India refused to give Pakistan’s shares. Pakistan was promised financial assistance of RS 750 million, but the Indian government refused to give it to Pakistan, and only gave RS 200 million. Similarly, Pakistan did not receive its due share of the military assets. This behavior of the Indian government put Pakistan in difficulties.

The Massacre of Muslim Migrants from India

After the partition, millions of people started migrating to Pakistan from India. According to the historians, this migration is one of the largest migrations of mankind. As planned Hindus and Sikhs started to burn the homes of the Muslims in India and looted their caravans, rapped and killed women, innocent children, and men.

Settlement of Refugees

Almost 6 million people migrated to Pakistan from India. It was not an easy task for Pakistan to settle these refugees. At the same time, India was not ready to transfer the financial shares to Pakistan. Under the leadership of Quaid e Azam and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan took an extraordinary step to settle the migrants. The Military also supported the government at this difficult time to build camps for the refugees. It was one of the most serious problems faced by Pakistan in the early days.

The Constitutional problems

The constituent assembly failed to frame a constitution in the country. After nine years of independence, Pakistan framed its first constitution. This problem created various other problems in the future of Pakistan.

Water Canal Dispute

Most of the rivers that flow in Pakistan have their origin in India. In 1948, India stopped the water supply in the canals of Pakistan to damage the agriculture sector of the country. Later on, in 1960, this issue was resolved under the agreement of the “ Indus Basin Treaty” under the supervision of the World Bank.

Kashmir Dispute

The Kashmir dispute has always been the most important and unsolved issue. After the partition, the majority of the population (85%) of Kashmir were Muslims, but the head of the state was Hindu. The public of Kashmir wanted to join Pakistan as both states share the same religious beliefs, but the government did not leave them to integrate Kashmir with Pakistan. Till today, the issue has been unsolved.

The Annexation of Independent / Princely States

After the partition, the princely states were given the right to choose which country they wanted to join or remain independent states. The Muslim princely state Junagarh wanted to join Pakistan, but soon after in November 1947 the Indian army stepped into it and annexed it with India. Similarly, the rich princely state of Hyderabad Deccan wanted to remain an independent state under the Muslim ruler Nizam. However, in 1948, the Indian government annexed it with India by force.

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Test Your Knowledge:

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• What were the initial problems of Pakistan?
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• List down the initial problems of Pakistan.