India and Pakistan will have a good time their 77th Independence Day this week to mark their 76th yr of freedom from British colonial rule. The Indian Independence Act of 1947 created two new unbiased dominions – India and Pakistan – by partitioning the Bengal and Punjab provinces.

The Act states; “As from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan.”

Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, in his historic radio handle declared that “August 15 is the birthday of the independent and sovereign state of Pakistan. It marks the fulfilment of the destiny of the Muslim nation which made great sacrifices in the past few years to have its homeland.”

So there may be ample proof to determine that Pakistan got here into existence the identical evening India obtained its independence. Then why does Pakistan have a good time its Independence Day a day earlier, on August 14?

Over the years, a number of theories have been floated to reply this query.

One concept ties it to the busy schedule of Lord Mountbatten, the final Viceroy of British India and the primary Governor-General of the Dominion of India. The energy switch was initially deliberate earlier than June 1948 however the Mountbatten’s plan to announce Independence Day for each nations as August 15 sped issues up. He went to Karachi to switch the facility of governance of Pakistan to Muhammad Ali Jinnah on August 14, 1947.

Another concept attributes it to a cupboard choice. In June 1948, at a cupboard assembly chaired by the primary Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan, it was proposed that the nation have a good time its Independence Day earlier than India. The proposal was permitted by Jinnah and the date was superior to August 14.

The non secular month of Ramzan can be cited as one of many causes. Some of its proponents say the intervening evening of August 14 and 15, 1947, coincided with the twenty seventh day of Ramzan, which is considered an auspicious day of the holy month. Hence, August 14 was taken because the day of independence.

Indian Standard Time (IST) being half-hour forward of Pakistan Standard Time (PST) can be cited as one of many causes. Since India turned a free nation at 00:00 hours on August 15, the native time in Pakistan was 11:30pm on August 14, therefore the celebrations a day earlier.