1. INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE

7. HINDU AND MUSLIM DIFFERENCES Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876- 1948) and the Muslim League, feared a Hindu-majority India would ignore Muslim concerns. He worked in Indian National Congress until 1920 when they adopted Gandhi’s satyagraha campaign. Jinnah pressed for an independent territory for South Asia’s religious minority – Muslims. (Pakistan,“land of the pure”)

8. INDIAN INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 1947 Date of Independence: August 15 th, 1947 This act was the implementation of the June 3 rd Plan or the Mountbatten Plan Mountbatten was the last viceroy Partition plan was set in place despite the views against it from Mountbatten and Gandhi

9. 1947 PARTITION OF INDIA 12 million+ Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus fled their homes to join a majority-religion region or state violence between the Hindus and Muslims caused hundreds of thousands of deaths Bitter memories remain from these hardships

10. POST INDEPENDENCE…(AUGUST 1947) India as a Parliamentary democracy & federal state is headed up by Jawarhalal Nehru (Gandhi is assassinated in January 1948); Pakistan becomes a Muslim state headed by former Muslim League leader Muhammad Jinnah; it too is a Parliamentary democracy but has struggled to remain secular; in after a brief civil war in 1971 East Pakistan becomes the Parliamentary democracy of Bangladesh.

11. GANDHI & SOUTH ASIA’S INDEPENDENCE … Satyagraha = “truth force”; Salt March; Civil disobedience Wanted one united nation for Hindus and Muslims after independence from the British. Scene from Gandhi

12. PROBLEMS WITH PAKISTAN: EAST AND WEST Separated by 1,000 miles Besides sharing the same religion East and West Pakistan were different in a lot of ways (geography, languages, and traditions) Pakistan’s Strengths: - army - educated officials

13. WEST AND EAST PAKISTAN PROBLEMS West Pakistan was the political and economic power of the two The Bengalis occupied the poorest section (East Pakistan) Bengalis were treated as second-class citizens 1970, a cyclone caused enormous damage to East Pakistan. There was little to no aid from West Pakistan.

14. EAST PAKISTAN REBELLION Very successful and quick rebellion (April – December 1971) Indian army supported East Pakistan December 16 th, 1971 East Pakistan became a newly independent nation – Bangladesh.

15. PAKISTAN TODAY Illiteracy rates are high Millions live in poverty Political instability over the years lead to long periods of military rule The northwest Pashtun tribes have supported the Taliban regime and Al Qaeda