spectators. This triggered more migration of the minorities from both nations. In the four months between August and November , boundaries to a date after power was transferred to the two dominions. The contours of the two dominions – India and Pakistan – were drawn in the scheme on August / , insofar as the administration was concerned; the people, however, were not informed about the new map when they celebrated independence day on August / , .
Radcliffe’s award contained all kinds of anomalies. The provincial assembly in Punjab had resolved that West Punjab would go to Pakistan. The other provinces, which were geographically contiguous with Pakistan such as Sind, Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier Provinces followed this. Similarly, the Bengal Assembly, resolved that the eastern parts of the province were to constitute Pakistan on this side.
The award Radcliffe presented, on August , , marked , square miles of land that was hitherto part of the Punjab to Pakistan. The total population (based on the census) of this region was , , people of whom , , were Muslims. Almost a quarter of the population in this territory – West Punjab – were non-Muslims; and the Mountbatten Plan as executed by Sir Radcliffe meant they continued to live as minorities in Pakistan. Similarly, East Punjab that was to be part of India was demarcated to consist of , square miles of territory with a population of , , .
Of this, , , were Muslims. In other words, more than a third of the population in east Punjab would be Muslims. The demographic composition of the Indian and Pakistani parts of Bengal was no less complicated. West Bengal that remained part of India accounted for an area of , square miles with a population of , , out of which , , were Muslims; in other words, Muslims constituted a quarter of the population of the Indian part of the former Bengal province.
Sir Radcliffe’s commission marked , square miles of territory from former Bengal with , , people for Pakistan. The Muslim population there, according to the census, was , , . In other words,