Impact of 1947 INDO-PAK Partition

Abdul Rehman

Aman Ahmad Urfi

Daniyal Ali Bhutta

Faizan Shahid

November 1st, 2019

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract (Aman)..……………….………………………………………………………....3

2. Introduction(Aman & Faizan)....……………………………………………………….…4

3. Literature Review(Faizan)…………...……………………………………………...……6

4. Design/Methodology(Daniyal)…………………………………………………………...8

5. Research Tools(Daniyal)…………………………………………………………………8

6. Analysis of Data and Discussion(Daniyal)……………………………………………….9

7. Conclusion(Abdul Rehman)………………………………………………………….….11

8. References(Aman)……………...………………………………………………………..13

9. Appendix(Abdul Rehman).………………………………………………………………14

„
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 3
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ABSRACT

Many stories have been written about the violence that took place during the Indo-Pak
partition most of which focus on the physical aspect of it. However, the events that took place
ingrained a psychological imprint on the minds of those who survived.

During the partition, migrants were exposed to extreme levels of trauma that changed
their psychological state forever. The trauma led to frustration, frustration to anger and anger to
instability. This is an example of classical conditioning. The behavior of the migrants was altered
due to the violent and tragic experiences of partition. Children underwent fixation due to their
psychological vulnerability as explained in the psychosexual stages of development. Women due
to their emotion psychology were heavily traumatized.

In an attempt to better understand the behaviors of those affected, this research paper
dives deep into the causality and effect on the psychological conditioning of those who made it
alive through that ordeal.

Keywords: classical conditioning, psychosexual stages, psychological imprint, trauma

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INTRODUCTION

In 1947, the political partition of British India into the current states of Pakistan and India
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instigated one of the most significant paroxysms of history. Academic historians have recorded and
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reported a wide variety of events taking place during this time span, but there are several personal
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stories that were left unsaid. There were thousands of individuals who suffered and experienced
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serious traumas, but no one was there to listen to them. The two neighboring countries faced
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violence, destruction, and human rights abuses at an immense scale that one cannot even imagine.
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Since the political partition of British India, the two bodies – Pakistan and India – have fought four
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wars, coming dangerously close to nuclear conflict during the crisis of 1999, while bullets continue
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to fly over the borders of both armies in the disputed region of Kashmir till now.
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The people and mostly the young generation who are new to the history and politics of India
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and Pakistan ask these questions: What are the impacts of partition on the people who were affected
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by it? Are there any chances for peace between Pakistan and India? What can we do to improve this
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current situation between these two bodies? To answer these questions, we have summarized this
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article in different sections, targeting each question.

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The occasions happening in the time of the partition in 1947 are currently 70 years back. The
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majority of the grown-ups who survived this are never again alive and just not many individuals
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from the ages conceived in the years going before the partition is alive today.
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Individuals living through its viciousness would have encountered various awful mishaps,
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going from seeing killings, disloyalty by nearby neighbors, escaping their homes under risk of
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homicide, starvation, and dejection. 70 years prior ideas, for example, Post horrible pressure issue
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(PTSD) were not part of the comprehension of war in displaced people in the manner in which they
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are today, anyway, all things considered, huge quantities of individuals escaping their homes to
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their particular future nations would have encountered what we currently comprehend as PTSD.
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PTSD is characterized by various antagonistic mental effects on psychological well-being

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and prosperity, including remembering the experience, evasion and enthusiastic desensitizing,
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hyper arousal and emotional well-being issues regularly with long haul repercussions on working.
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Kids are powerless against PTSD as well and can be influenced more than grown-ups, specifically
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PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 5
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impacting how their advancement unfurls following war. Notable grievance encounters are
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likewise significant in view of their long haul impacts on kid raising practices, and socialization,
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and in light of the fact that living through the aggregate understanding of pain can shape social
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stories about character and nationality which conceivably add to threatening vibe towards the
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gathering distinguished as culprits, and a sense where struggle in future might be viewed as
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'legitimized'. .

Partition triggered riots, mass casualties, and a colossal wave of migration. Millions of
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people moved to what they hoped would be safer territory, with Muslims heading towards Pakistan,
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and Hindus and Sikhs in the direction of India. As many as 14-16m people may have been
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eventually displaced, travelling on foot, in bullock carts and by train. Estimates of the death toll,
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post-Partition, range from 200,000 to two million. Many were killed by members of other
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communities and sometimes their own families, as well as by the contagious diseases which swept
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through refugee camps. Women were often targeted as symbols of community honor, with up to
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100,000 raped or abducted.

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What can explain this intensely violent reaction? Many of the people concerned were very
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deeply attached not just to religious identity, but to territory, and Britain was reluctant to use its
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troops to maintain law and order. The situation was especially dangerous in Punjab, where weapons
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and demobilized soldiers were abundant.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 6
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LITERATURE REVIEW

In 1947, the partition of India was the start of the biggest dispute of the history between
the two bodies, Pakistan and India. Since then, these two countries are psychologically obsessed
with their multifarious mutual conflicts. As discussed earlier, they have fought four wars, and
still use their nuclear power to outpace each other frequently. From a general view point, it
doesn‟t seem more than a family feud, but in psychological terms, it is a very pertinent analogy.

The partition caused 15 million refugees to pour across new borders. Both countries faced
ruined lands. They had instable economies at the start of their independence days. A research
study “The Dilemma of „Nationhood‟ and Religion: A Survey and Critique of Studies on
Population Displacement Resulting from the Partition of the Indian Subcontinent” represented by
C. Emdad Haque (1995) assessed the work on refugee survival strategies, trauma, and the
rebuilding process. The study highlighted that at government level different strategies were
introduced to treat refugees as a distinct group. At the same time, religious point of views and
ethnicity were some delicate issues that were playing a strong impact on the psychological senses
of the people who suffered at that time.

A research study “Literature and the human drama of the 1947 partition” by Ian Talbot
(2007) discussed the human dimension of partition by considering the physical and
psychological impact on the people who experienced violence, abduction, migration, and
resettlement. As strains and anxieties keep on mounting in Kashmir after the Pulwama dread
assault of February 2019 where more than forty military workforces lost their lives, dread has, by
and by, grasped the Valley of Kashmir. More than 400 separatists are professed to have been
captured and neighborhood political associations have been restricted by the Indian focal
government. The all-inclusive community of Kashmir is stuck in a recurrent example of mass
neighborhood fights, state authorized military crackdowns, weapon fights (among police and a
couple of outstanding agitators), nearby calls for statewide shutdowns and Indian government
forced curfews. Many years of viciousness and struggle have negatively affected the
psychological well-being of those living in the Kashmir Valley. Emotional well-being specialists
note an ascent in manifestations of mental trouble, for example, uneasiness and suicide.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 7
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The emotional wellness weights of this militarization are reflected in meetings led by
Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) in two clashes that influenced rustic regions of Kashmir
between 1989 and 2005. During this period, one out of ten individuals announced having lost at
least one individual from their close family to the viciousness. A third had lost more distant
family individuals. Simply under a portion of those talked with announced that they were
troubled to the degree that they had self-destructive contemplations (33.9%). By and large, a
grown-up living in the Kashmir Valley has seen or experienced 7.7 horrible mishaps during
his/her lifetime and around 70% grown-ups had seen the unexpected or savage passing of
somebody they knew.

Taking a gander at the serious results of distress given the political elements of the
district, it does maybe not astonish that war and foul play as experienced by Kashmiris
additionally makes a longing to be free from abuse. Without a reasonable political change, the
proceeded with an understanding of war and foul play and the defenseless individuals this makes
readies an enlistment ground for fierce freedom developments, which thus heighten viciousness
and further state persecution. Conceivably this makes an endless cycle of brutality and war
except if the conditions and which feed this cycle can be changed.

The most elevated appraisals of melancholy, tension, and PTSD were altogether higher in
ladies than men. About 30% of Kashmiri grown-ups use tobacco – one individual in half of
every single Kashmiri family unit as an adapting methodology. Individuals were seen managing
worry by disengaging themselves or getting to be forceful which are viewed as a run of the mill
ways of dealing with stress when presented to viciousness. While the individuals talked with
thought talking privately to somebody they trust was useful when gone up against strain (89.4%),
more than 66% (68%) didn't have a clue what guiding is (De Jong, Kaz et al., 2008). The
incredible degrees of self-destructive ideation in such solid Muslim people group were hailed by
the MSF scientists as "a stressing marker of the degree of depression and sadness" (de Jong, Kaz,
et al., 2006). The ceaseless savagery from the contention has brought about a 33% expansion in
emotional well-being issues (De Jong, Kaz, et al., 2008).
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 8
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METHODOLOGY

In our research paper “Psychological effects faced by the survivors of Indo-Pak wars”,
our members conducted research about the cases of mental trauma in the survivors of the
incident of separation by studying the mind or soul of different human beings, where the main
motive of our research was to inspect the mental process of the survivors and in what ways were
their actions and behaviors effected the most after the separation. The study is partially built
around the question and answers or the questionnaire, as this was the most appropriate and
reliable means to communicate effectively and efficiently with our targeted samples. We were
able to collect the primary data with the aid of the questionnaire we conducted. For the
questionnaire, we designed it in in a specific manner that it is only applicable to those sample of
people who have their ancestors alive or to discuss the psychological behavior and their impacts
they have had faced in the lives due to the after effect of the separation. People from different
backgrounds and social classes, who had different experiences, positioning and opinions from
one another were required, and were approached for the high accuracy. And for this reason our
research sample has been gathered from different areas of Pakistan such as Lahore, Multan and
Bahawalpur, as these cities at some point of their existence had faced many clashes and conflicts
with our neighboring country; India, therefore, we have successfully gathered a precise set of
data.

RESEARCH TOOLS

The tools for the research we used in the study were the questionnaires. These
questionnaires we worked upon were beneficial in many ways such as they consumed less time
to reach the target samples with high frequency of responses, our study‟s answers began to
appear in much accurate and meaningful manner. The questionnaires was constructed through
the assistance of online platform on Google Forms so that we could gather a huge quantity of
audience in very less mean time. Furthermore, to enhance the probability of precise data set, we
have also studied and used already published articles and research studies from recent years
which we thought were related to the issue that we are focusing on.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 9
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ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

After collecting data from the questionnaires and already published studies of various
authors; the information collected was analyzed deeply to evaluate the choices and behaviors
survivors went through after the separation. The information gathered through the data collected
from the questionnaires were all in qualitative form, therefore, in order to make the sense out of
information extracted, it was converted into qualitative form so that each answer can be given a
proper grading and scaling method to obtain precise and accurate information. This grading
system allows the viewers to see the trends and rankings about the information which makes it
easier to evaluate. This analyzed data was obtained from many residents from different areas of
Pakistan such as; Lahore, Multan and Bahawalpur. We were able to find the relevant answers to
the questions provided in a very short time. Our respondents were equal to 40.
This data was collected with the help of Google forms. Its analysis and interpretations
have been mentioned in the following material: The raw data after being converted into
quantitative form from the qualitative from, was further generated into a set of visual
representation because according to a psychological fact 80% of what we absorb is from our
sense of vision, while the rest of the 20% is absorbed from the other senses. This visual
representation consisted of statistical data such as pie charts and histograms. Our questionnaire is
precisely designed for those people whose ancestors or any relatives were somehow involved in
the incident and are impacted not just physically but also psychologically the minds or the souls
of the survivors.
Our study mostly involved those people who are aware of war that took place in 1947 till
now. Around 40% of the respondents had partial informative knowledge regarding the incident.
More than half of the respondent had ancestors who were directly involved in the separation and
it‟s after effects whereas almost half the respondents had relative who were indirectly involved.
52.5% of the sample was mentally traumatized whereas 17.5% weren‟t. Here, we can see how
that many people had an operant learning where they have had negative experiences to the
cause(separation). The probability of the incident to be highly intense was seen in the histograms
in most of the respondents. When asked how would today‟s generation react towards the incident
and would they be mentally effected, 37.5% told that them being mentally effected would lead
them to not be socially adjustable, however, 40% would adjust socially and 22.5% is unsure.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 10
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About 64% of the respondents said that their ancestors felt highly and extremely disturbed when
they lost their friends and families during the partition among the two countries whereas only a
minor number of just 1 respondent out of 25 responses collected.
When asked if the ancestors were or are able to cope up with being classically
conditioned to different religious ethics, cultures and values, many were able to cope up by
counter conditioning themselves to pre-set values before the partition. Moreover, most of the
respondents believe that brain development becomes much more easier and healthier when
exposed to a peaceful environment. This answer talks about the psychosexual stages of a human
life, where each and every stage must be carried out effectively without any risks of fixation.
Lastly, we have observed many different applications of psychology during our phase of
conducing the research, such as “Every person is different yet very much the same” i.e. every
human being is truly unique. With the exception of identical twins each person‟s heredity is
unique and each person's experiences are different from anyone else‟s yet however everyone is
same. Moreover, “Human lives are a continuous process of change” that they go through various
stages in their life and their mental process and abilities are effected differently in each stage in
the process of brain development.
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CONCLUSION

Partition of subcontinent imparted many effects on the people across the border. People
were psychologically and physically disturbed. Many people lost their family members and
many abducted their loved ones during the separation due to the immigration of people for the
sake of their life and religion. This created many mishaps in their lives which never got well after
that. People spent their whole life being mentally upset. The parents were affected in a way that
the kids were not raised well by them so the kids were introduced to fixation by their parents
which as a result affected their kids also. Other than people being disturbed by their immigration,
some acts of the other countries also made their life a lot more like hell. Like India illegally
captured the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir. While discussing Kashmir it is noted that
women were raped there, children got homeless, men got killed in front of their own family
members. The blood was shed very brutally. Many people who were not killed got so much
depressed that they lost their will to live. Many attempted suicides. Violence got spread
throughout the region across people. No person was sure of his future in the world at that time.

All due to the after effects of partition, even there are people today in both countries who
dearly miss their villages/homes that were 70 years before and are frightened to remember the
situation of the days of migration. According to our research most of our population is
psychologically affected, due to all these reasons, people of both nations even after 70 years of
partition carry forward the legacy of hate for each other. Based on our research, more than half
of our research population hated Indian nation. People just hate each other because now they are
adapted to the anger towards each other. One of the reasons for such was unjust division of
Pakistan. Due to which Pakistan suffered very heavy economic crisis. There was not food for the
people. People lived in camps at the initial stages. The Kashmir dispute has bedeviled relations
between India and Pakistan. The problem related to Kashmir came is the distribution of water
across both countries, Pakistan not getting enough water and being an agricultural country, the
economy was affected a lot. This made people furious. There were some areas of common
conflict such as economic development, trade and politico-socio-cultural relations. This urged
the both countries to become nuclear countries which made them competitors in this field too.
Even the kids today whose parents were not born at the time of partition try to defame the other
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON THE SURVIVORS OF 1947 INDO-PAK 12
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country just because of the passive learning they got from generations. They just have the
perception that India is their enemy country. This makes the situation to make peace in the
region more difficult.

Today, a large proportion of Pakistanis, mostly elder people, don‟t want to make peace
with India and try to defame India. People are so much possessive that they even don‟t try to
spend to time with the people of India. Keeping the humanity aside, people always bring past
differences between them because of the trauma they suffered. And avoid praising India in any
matter.

All can be reversed and situation can get better between people but the problem is that
both countries are stuck to their own demands and peace in the region is stopped. For
development people have to change their mindset. Like sports, tourism and other psychologically
binding activities should be promoted. Also, government need to establish better strategies and
people should focus on technical issues instead of point scoring activities. Economic co-
operation and trade should be facilitated to develop natural interest.
 REFERENCES

Iqbal, N. (2019); War, violence and the mental health crisis in Kashmir; Blogs, Headlines,
Health through Peace, Nuclear Weapons, Peace & Security

CIA (1965); Intelligence Memorandum; The aftermath of India-Pakistan partition; the off9ce of
Current Intelligence

De Jong, K. & Ford, N. (2008); Conflict in the Indian Kashmir Valley: psychosocial impact

Ashraf, S. (2019); the psychology of India-Pakistan conflict; Gulf News

Kadir, J. (2018); India and Pakistan’s psychological rivalry; Lancaster University

Khan, R. (2017); India-Pakistan post partition traumas; open.edu

Talbot. I. (2007); Literature and the human drama of the 1947 partition

Haque, C.E. (1995); The Dilemma of ‘Nationhood’ and Religion: A Survey and Critique of
Studies on Population Displacement Resulting from the Partition of the Indian
Subcontinent
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