India and Pakistan were once united under British rule, enduring a long and arduous struggle for independence. When freedom was finally achieved in August 1947, two new nations were born. While both India and Pakistan officially gained independence on 15 August 1947, the question arises: Why do their Independence Days fall on different dates? Let’s delve into the reasons behind this.
The Shared Independence of 15 August 1947
Seventy-eight years have passed since the independence of India and Pakistan. Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on 14 August, while India commemorates it on 15 August. The British rulers divided India into two separate nations under the Indian Independence Act of 1947, which took effect on 18 July 1947. This act established two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, which were to be recognized worldwide from 15 August 1947. Despite this shared inception, their Independence Days are observed on different dates.
The Role of Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Initially, both countries celebrated their independence on 15 August. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, acknowledged this date as the birth of the independent state of Pakistan during a historic radio broadcast. A report in Pakistan’s The Express Tribune confirms that Jinnah and the Pakistan Cabinet took their oaths on 15 August 1947. Even the first commemorative postage stamp issued by Pakistan in July 1948 marked 15 August 1947 as the country’s Independence Day. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Chaudhary Muhammad Ali also mentioned in his book The Emergence of Pakistan that this day was Pakistan’s official day of independence.
The Divergence of Independence Days
The key reason for the difference in Independence Days lies in the logistics of power transfer. Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, responsible for transferring power to both nations, could not be in two places at once. He first transferred power to Pakistan in Karachi on 14 August before heading to New Delhi for India’s power transfer on 15 August. Pakistani historian Khurshid Kamal Aziz notes in his book Murder of History that while Mountbatten’s presence was required for the transfer, this did not imply that Pakistan gained independence on 14 August. The Indian Independence Act did not account for two separate dates. Officially, Pakistan should have continued to celebrate its independence on 15 August, but a year later, the date was changed to 14 August for practical reasons.
Creating a Distinct Identity for Pakistan
Yasir Latif Hamdani, author of Jinnah: Myth and Reality, explained in a 2013 interview with PTI that Jinnah was too unwell by August 1948 to change the date himself. However, Hamdani argued that Pakistan, as a newly formed nation, required a distinct identity, which necessitated a different date of independence. From 1948 onwards, Pakistan has celebrated its Independence Day on 14 August.
