How Was The Army Divided During Partition? Pakistan Got 1,31,000 Soldiers, India Got...
Soldiers were given the option to join either Indian or Pakistani force, but with a condition: no Muslim from Pakistan could join the Indian Army, and no non-Muslim from India could join the Pakistani army.
After nearly two centuries of British rule, India’s struggle for independence reached its climax in the aftermath of the Second World War. The long campaign, which began with the Revolt of 1857, gained momentum as Indians grew increasingly restless for self-rule, believing their contributions to the war effort entitled them to political autonomy. The newly-elected British government in 1945, led by Prime Minister Clement Attlee, was determined to grant independence, but the challenge lay in preserving a unified India amidst deepening communal tensions.
The Indian National Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, and the Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, could not agree on the structure of the new nation. Jinnah’s demand for a separate Muslim state became more insistent after the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946. Communal violence erupted across the country, with the Great Calcutta Killings and the violence in Noakhali exposing the fragile state of Hindu-Muslim relations. As tensions escalated, British authorities concluded that partition was the only viable solution to prevent further bloodshed.
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On June 2, 1947, the last British Viceroy of India, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, announced that Britain had decided to divide the subcontinent into two independent nations – a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. The new Pakistan was formed from two geographically separated territories – West Pakistan (modern-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Mountbatten set August 15, 1947, as the official date for independence.
The Partition of the Army
The partition of the country also meant the division of the military – a task fraught with logistical and emotional challenges. Mountbatten was initially opposed to splitting the Indian Army, which had served as a cohesive force under British command. He suggested that the Indian Army should remain united under an English commander, who would be responsible for the security of both India and Pakistan. Jinnah, however, rejected the proposal outright, insisting that Pakistan must have its own independent military.
The task of dividing the armed forces fell to Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the last Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army. On August 14, 1947, Auchinleck and Major General Reginald Savory signed the order to disband the old Indian Army, marking the end of the British Indian military establishment. Soldiers were given the option to join either the Indian or Pakistani forces, but with a condition: no Muslim from Pakistan could join the Indian Army, and no non-Muslim from India could join the Pakistani military.
According to British military reports, two-thirds of the Indian Army’s soldiers chose to remain with India, while one-third opted for Pakistan. Of the 3,91,000 soldiers at the time, approximately 2,60,000 remained with India, and 1,31,000 went to Pakistan, most of the latter being Muslims. The Gorkha Brigade, recruited in Nepal, was divided between India and Britain.
Division of the Air Force and Navy
The British Indian Air Force, which had a strength of about 13,000 personnel, was also split. India retained 10,000 airmen, while Pakistan received 3,000. The Royal Indian Navy, consisting of 8,700 sailors, was similarly divided, with India retaining 5,700 personnel and Pakistan taking 3,000. Several British officers were retained temporarily to help manage the transition. India’s first army chief was General Sir Robert Lockhart, while Pakistan’s first military leader was General Sir Frank Messervy.
An Exodus and a Legacy of Division
The division of the army reflected the larger upheaval of Partition. Approximately 98% of Muslim soldiers opted to join Pakistan, leaving only 554 Muslim officers in the Indian Army. The proportion of Muslims in the Indian Army plummeted from 36% to just 2% after Partition. Among those who chose to remain in India were Brigadier Muhammad Usman, Brigadier Muhammad Anees Ahmed Khan, and Lieutenant Colonel Inayat Habibullah – officers who remained loyal to their country despite religious and political pressures.
The withdrawal of British forces from India was carefully staged. British regiments, which had long garrisoned the North-West Frontier Province and other strategic locations, were recalled. The last British regiment to leave Indian soil was the 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert’s), which departed from Bombay on February 28, 1948.
Approximately 1.5 crore people were uprooted as Hindus and Sikhs fled to India and Muslims migrated to Pakistan. An estimated 10-20 lakh people died in the ensuing violence. Trains carrying refugees were attacked, villages were burned, and families were torn apart by the ferocity of communal riots. The Radcliffe Line, drawn hastily by British lawyer Sir Cyril Radcliffe, carved out the new borders, but the scars of that division remained etched in the collective memory of both nations.
As the last British soldiers boarded their ships and set sail for home, they left behind a land forever changed. The British Indian Army, once a symbol of imperial strength, had become a fractured entity, mirroring the fractured destinies of India and Pakistan.
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