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India and Pakistan are both celebrating their 78th Independence Day this month. India marks the day on August 15, while Pakistan observes it on August 14. Though both countries gained independence from British rule in August 1947, they celebrate on different days.
Historical Context
The Indian Independence Act of 1947, passed on July 18, established India and Pakistan. It stated, “From August 15, 1947, two independent Dominions shall be set up: India and Pakistan.”
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founder, announced August 15 as Pakistan’s Independence Day in a radio address. He stated, “August 15 is the birthday of the independent state of Pakistan.” Jinnah emphasized that it marked the fulfillment of the Muslim nation’s long struggle.
In 2016, journalist Shahida Kazi noted, “August 15 logically should be our Independence Day.” On that day, Jinnah and his cabinet took their oaths of office. Pakistan’s first stamps released in July 1948 also marked August 15 as Independence Day. This date was significant because it was the last Friday of Ramadan, a holy period for Muslims.
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Events of August 14, 1947
On August 14, 1947, Viceroy Lord Mountbatten spoke to Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly. He was to transfer power at midnight. However, he could not be in both Karachi and New Delhi simultaneously. Therefore, Mountbatten transferred power to Pakistan on August 14 and then moved to India.
Historian Khursheed Kamal Aziz explained that Mountbatten could not transfer power to both nations on August 15. Thus, he chose August 14 for Pakistan. This was a practical decision, not an indication of Pakistan’s actual independence date.
Date Change
Pakistan initially should have celebrated independence on August 15. However, in 1948, the country moved its Independence Day to August 14. Some leaders wanted to celebrate before India. A meeting led by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan decided the change.
Yasser Latif Hamdani, author of Jinnah: Myth and Reality, said Jinnah was too ill in August 1948 to make this decision. He justified the change as a way for Pakistan to establish its identity.
Since 1948, Pakistan has celebrated Independence Day on August 14. This shift has become a longstanding tradition.
