Birth of the New State

Pakistan came into existence as a dominion within the Commonwealth in August 1947, with Jinnah as Governor-General and Liaquat Al Khan as Prime Minister. With West and East Pakistan separated by more than 1,000 miles of Indlan territory and with the major portion of the wealth and resources of the British heritage passing to indie, Pakistan's survival seemed to hang in the balance. Of all the well-. organlzed provinces of British india, oniy the comparatively backward areas of Sindh, Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier came to Pakistan Intact. The Punjab and Bengal were divided, and Kashmir became disputed territory. Economically, the situation seemed almost hopeless; the new frontier cut off Pakistani raw materials from the indian factories, disrupting industry, commerce, and agricuiture. The partition and the movement of refugees were accompanied by terribie massacres for which both communities were responsible. India remained openly unfriendly; its economic superiority expressed itself in a virtual blockade. The dispute over Kashmir brought the two countries to the verge of war; and india's command of the headworks controlling the .water supplies to Pakistan's eastern canal colonies gave it an additional economic weapon. The resulting friction, by obstructing the process of sherng the assets inherited from the British Raj (according to plans previously agreed), further handicapped Pakistan.