Abstracts
Theme: Peace and People’s Rights
Panel: Religious Minorities
Session: 1947 Violence and Relief Work
 Forman Christian College: A Personal Memoir of Relief Work
Syed Afzal Haider*
The majority of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh students actively participated in the independence movement during 1946-47, which was spearheaded by the political parties in India. In this regard, the Forman Christian College was no exception, albeit it was the only prestigious educational institution located outside Lahore, which also happened to be the hub of political activities. The other significant factor on the political horizon of India was the partition of the Punjab and the consequent mass migration for which the government made no preparation. During this period the college authorities faced two challenges. In 1946, the law and order had to be maintained inside the college premises to protect the minority Muslim students. The second challenge after July 1947 was the large influx of refugees, particularly in Lahore. The ailing women, children, and the injured refugees needed medical care apart from food, clothing and temporary shelter.
The concept of non-government organizations was unknown in those days. We are familiar with only one agency that functioned under the title of Red Cross. But the enormity of problem required relief at a large scale. The authorities of Forman Christian College succeeded in maintaining peaceful atmosphere in the campus. The college authorities provided assistance to the refugee population, particularly the medical aid, thus setting an example.
* Syed Afzal Haider is a former Law Minister of the Punjab, a prolific writer and human rights’ activist. He is an Advocate at the Supreme Court and has been President of the Lahore High Court Bar Council, member of the Council of Islamic Ideology and Law and Justice Commission. He is author of more than 15 books on Islam, Punjabi literature and constitutional and legal issues.
Memories of Partition in Pothowar
Anandi Mehmood and Samina Awan*
During September 2005, we were involved in recording interviews and
experiences of partition by those still alive in the Pothowar region. Our
starting point was how the process of mass migration and dramatic events of
1947 impacted the lives of both those who moved and who did not. There
is no doubt that the period was characterized by violence in many areas, yet
at the same time there are many stories of support for neighbors and
friends who were forced to leave. This paper will explore and give
evidence of stories of harmony and the memories of co-existence that we
have recorded. It will also look at peoples’ memories of episodes of
violence. This violence was not simply communal but had roots in economic conflicts and class relationships.
The paper will present the initial findings of an ongoing research. It will
make use of memories by both women and men to enhance our understanding of
the past.
*Anandi Mehmood is associated with the University of Central Lancashire, Preston; and, Samina Awan with the Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
My memories of partition in 1947
Fr L. J. Saldana
In the historic year of 1947 I was a small boy of 11 years living with my family in Lahore near Jesus and Mary Convent. I clearly remember the disturbed months before the Partition when trucks loaded with people passed our house shouting slogans of Jai Hind or Pakistan Zindabad. We did not expect India to be divided so soon but when the wave of bloodshed and violence and civil disobedience spread like wild fire across India, the British suddenly announced in early June 1947 that the countries would be given Independence on August 14. We then came to know that Lahore would be part of the new country called Pakistan. We made the decision to stay on in Pakistan.
My father was an officer in the railways and had the privilege of rail travel by pass. So in June he made a pass for us to visit our relatives in South India for the last time. We spent six weeks with our relatives. When we were returning to Lahore from Delhi, as we came near Lahore we suddenly experienced a terrible smell. I saw that in the fields many shallow graves had been dug and hundreds of bodies had been buried there. It was a scene of death and decay. Trains were attacked and looted and people were killed mercilessly. It made a deep impression on me.
I also saw huge camps of refugees along the railway track-hundreds of people who were living in great misery in huts or in the open.
It was the end of July and Lahore saw scenes of terrible riots, killings and looting. Hindus houses were systematically burnt down. Fortunately, the owner of our house was Mr. Khan, a Muslim-so the local elders came and assured us that no harm would be done to us because we were Christians.
But my cousin Ben Saldanha who had come from Bombay with his wife to open the office of a medical firm, Ciba, was not so lucky. Three times the couple had to shift their house because they were warned by the mohalla people that the house would be burnt down because it was a Hindu property and they should leave it in 24 hours!
In those early days of August, we could see clouds of smoke going up into the sky and at night at various parts of the city we could see the glow of houses on fire. There was no TV in those days, so the only source of news was the Radio and the newspapers like the Civil and Military Gazette.
The main railway station of Lahore exhibited the scene of terrible killing and bloodshed. Trains laden with dead bodies used to come from India and the Muslims would get so enraged that they would go out and attack the first Hindu or Sikh that they saw. My father's office was near the station next to Bohr Wali Chowk on Mayo Road. He had a Hindu gardener named Ganga Din who used to work at the office. One evening my father brought Ganga Din back to our house in his car. He was so afraid that he could not even talk or stand up. His eyes were full of fear of death, for he had seen Hindus being slaughtered in front of him. He stayed with us for some days until my father arranged for him to travel on a train to India that was well guarded. Later he left, very grateful to us for saving his life. We never heard from him again.
August 14th, the dawn of Independence Day was greeted with a 21-gun salute, just some speeches on the radio and announcement in the newspaper that Pakistan was born. No celebrations, no lights and festivities. There was curfew in Lahore, and military trucks were patrolling the streets as we spent the historic day at home.
In September the schools opened again and I noticed that the Hindu and Sikh students were missing from my class. Some of them had been my friends and I missed them. Also the Hindu teachers had departed for India. It was then that I began to realize the meaning of Partition and how deeply it had affected our lives.
Social Services of the Christian Community
Mira Phailbus*
Religious minorities, both on a public front and on individual basis, were saviors, during the insane frenzy of hatred that led to the massacres of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, during the trauma of the Partition of the subcontinent.
In the midst of the crisis, the Christians united to help the wounded and injured from which emerged the creation of the United Christian Hospital in Lahore. The Technical Services Association was at an infancy stage, but with the influx of refugees it provided technical skills to the widows, the destitute women and girls to help them earn a living in their new country. The well-established Young Women’s Christian Association of Karachi was responsible for being a role model for the formative stages of All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA). Similarly various individuals of the minority community were also responsible for saving the lives of thousands irrespective of caste, color or creed.
These are well known facts to all deep and broad-minded thinkers, but were never really publicized.
*Dr. Mira Phailbus is Professor Emeritus and Former Principal, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, Pakistan.
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