History Today: How the nation of Pakistan was born

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3 days ago

The Dominion of Pakistan was created when Britain handed over power on August 14, 1947. At the stroke of midnight, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor-general of Pakistan, addressed the nation and emphasised on unity, tolerance, and equal rights for all citizens
The portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah is seen at at the Wagah border post as a Pakistani Ranger (top) unfurls the Pakistani national flag during a ceremony to celebrate Independence Day. File image/AFP
Pakistan and India were one nation till 1947, when the countries gained independence from the British Empire. But while the independence was a joyful event, partition was something that came along with it. And people on both sides of the border remember August 14, 1947, as a sombre as well as happy day when Pakistan was created.
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One of the most wanted terrorists in the world, Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, who was better known as Carlos the Jackal, was captured in Sudan by French authorities on August 14, 1994.
Here is all that took place on this day across the world.
Pakistan came into existence
August 14 is an important date in the history of the Indian subcontinent as Pakistan emerged as an independent nation. With this, nearly 200 years of British rule came to an end and marked the emergence of two new nations - India and Pakistan. Pakistan was created as a result of the Pakistan Movement, spearheaded by the All-India Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Pakistan was initially set to share its Independence Day with India on August 15, but it was difficult for Mountbatten to be present at both New Delhi and Karachi at the same time; hence, Pakistan's Independence Day was brought forward.
British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten (centre) with Muhammad Ali Jinnah (right) and Jawaharlal Nehru (left). Wikimedia Commons
The power was transferred from the last British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, to the new Dominion of Pakistan at the stroke of midnight on August 14. The Constituent Assembly met in Karachi, and Jinnah addressed the nation, emphasising unity, tolerance, and equal rights for all citizens, regardless of religion.
However, the joy of independence was marred by one of the largest and bloodiest migrations in human history. From that day, millions of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs moved to the newly created nations. Reports suggest that these displacements were often marred by some of the most horrific communal violence. Estimates suggest that up to a million people lost their lives.
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The new nation adopted its green-and-white flag symbolising Muslim identity and minority rights, and 'Pakistan Zindabad' ('Long Live Pakistan') became the rallying cry of its people. Amid these instances of pain, Pakistan began its journey as a sovereign state with aspirations to build a strong, democratic, and Islamic society.
International terrorist Carlos the Jackal was captured
One of the world's most wanted terrorists, Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, was captured in Sudan in a covert French intelligence operation. Carlos, a Venezuelan-born militant, gained international notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s for a series of bombings, hijackings, and assassinations linked to pro-Palestinian and other revolutionary causes.
His most infamous act was the 1975 raid on a meeting of Opec oil ministers in Vienna, in which he took more than 60 hostages and killed three people. The daring operation, combined with his ability to evade capture for decades, turned him into both a feared figure and a media myth.
Terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka Carlos the Jackal, in a Paris court in 2000. File image/AP
By the early 1990s, Carlos had largely faded from the headlines but was still wanted by multiple governments. French intelligence learned that he was in Khartoum, Sudan, receiving medical treatment for varicose veins. In a carefully planned operation, Sudanese authorities, under pressure from France, allowed French agents to enter the country and carry out the arrest.
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On the night of August 14, a team of French operatives seized Carlos from his villa and sedated him. He was flown to Paris, where he was formally charged with the 1975 murders of two French counterintelligence agents and an informant.
This Day, That Year
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the first person to win the 100 metres at the Rio de Janeiro Games in three consecutive Olympics in 2016.
On this day in 1941, British PM Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D Roosevelt issued the Atlantic Charter.
China declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I in 1917.
With inputs from agencies