The following historical document pertains to the secession of India along factional lines: this was not an act of independence but a British colonial policy of subdividing British India into separate dominions, with a view to creating social and factional divisions as well as weakening the formation of a post-colonial state. It is of particular significance because it sets the stage for the subsequent breaking up of sovereign states along ethnic and factional lines.
What was proposed by Her Majesty’s government was the creation of the Muslim dominion of Pakistan and the splitting up of the province of Bengal into two separate political entities, East Bengal and West Bengal. The province of Punjab also ceased to exist. Two separate political entities, namely East and West Punjab were established.
UK Indian Independence Act, 1947
18th July 1947
