Most people must have read the story of the partition of India in 1947 in history books. But do you know how the troops were distributed between India and Pakistan? However, the then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten was against dividing the army. Know how the soldiers were divided then.
What did Jinnah say?
Let us tell you that Viceroy Lord Mountbatten had suggested to Jinnah that the Indian Army should be allowed to remain under a British commander who would be the army chief. But Jinnah immediately rejected this suggestion and was adamant on dividing the army. Historians Dominic Lapierre and Larry Collins write in their book “Freedom at Midnight” that Jinnah had responded to Mountbatten’s suggestion that we do not accept this at all. Jinnah had said that army is an integral part of the sovereign power of any nation. Therefore, Pakistan’s army should be inside Pakistan’s border before 15th August. After this it was decided that two-thirds of the soldiers of the Indian Army would come to India’s part and one-third would go to Pakistan’s part.
Division of troops?
Let us tell you that in 1945 there were 25 lakh soldiers in the Indian Army. Not only this, the Indian Army had fought for the British rule from Italy to Burma. Dominic Lapierre and Larry Collins write that the Indian Army was proud of the fact that the spirit of communalism would not touch the army. But due to Jinnah’s stubbornness, ultimately the army was also going to be divided on communal basis. Apart from this, a form was given to every officer of the Indian Army in the beginning of July. In it, every officer was asked to tell whether he would work in the Indian Army or want to join the Pakistani Army.
chair-table sharing
Let us tell you that at the time of partition, it was decided that India would get 80 percent of the movable assets of India’s huge administrative system and Pakistan would get 20 percent. After this, tables, chairs, brooms and typewriters started being counted in government offices in every part of India. According to the information, at that time in India there were 425 sitting tables for clerks, 85 big tables, 85 chairs for officers, 850 other chairs, 50 peg-stands for hanging hats, mirrors, 6 peg-stands, 130 shelves for keeping books, iron 4 safes, 20 table-lamps, 120 fans, 170 typewriters, 120 watches, 110 bicycles, 600 pen boxes, 3 office motors, 2 sofa-sets and 40 commodes were counted.
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