Abstract
Punjab, with rich fertile tracts of land, considered a ‘Model Province’ and
‘Barometer of India’. Therefore, to fulfill agricultural needs in Britain, British
annexed the Punjab in March 1849, after the Sikh rule. After the annexation,
Punjab received special attention of British administration as Punjab had always
played an important role in the defense of India. British furnished the West Punjab
with nine canal colonies and the best irrigation system to enrich the agricultural
sector that unquestionably attracted Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. They gathered
round in West Punjab sharing the same socio-economic interests. Gradually, the
socio-political and religious issues among these large communities led Punjab
towards partition in 1947. The Partition of Punjab was done into two, East and
West on communal basis. Pakistan received western part along with sufferings of
millions of refugees. Government faced a massive task to deal with the issues like
accommodation, facilitation, settlement and rehabilitation of refugees. Economic
pressure of rehabilitation and settlement work troubled the economy of the
Province, which caused many fiscal, social and political sufferings of the West
Punjab after the partition.
Busharat Elahi Jamil. (2018) Miseries of the West Punjab (1947-1955): Moment of Truth, Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society, Volume 31, Issue 2.
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