The boundary line that was drawn in 1947 to divide India and Pakistan is known as the:

The Radcliffe Line is the boundary drawn in 1947 to partition British India into India and Pakistan. It was named after Sir Cyril Radcliffe, the British lawyer who chaired the two Boundary Commissions for the partition of Punjab and Bengal.

How the line was drawn:

• Under the Indian Independence Act, 1947, British India was to be divided into two dominions.
• Sir Cyril Radcliffe arrived in India on 8 July 1947 and was given only about five weeks to draw the boundaries.
• He had never been to India before and had limited knowledge of its geography and people.
• He relied on outdated maps and census data, and considered factors such as religious majorities, along with roads, railways, irrigation canals and other practical matters.
• The award was announced on 17 August 1947, two days after independence, which added to confusion and violence.

Two parts of the line:

Western part: divided Punjab between India (East Punjab) and Pakistan (West Punjab). Lahore went to Pakistan, while Amritsar remained in India.

Eastern part: divided Bengal between India (West Bengal) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Kolkata (Calcutta) remained in India.

Effects of the partition:

• It led to one of the largest mass migrations in history, with about 10 to 20 million people crossing the new borders.
• Communal violence killed several hundred thousand to perhaps two million people.
• The line also created long-term disputes over rivers, enclaves and territories.

Today's position:

The Radcliffe Line forms much of the present India-Pakistan international border in Punjab and Rajasthan, and the India-Bangladesh border.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Durand Line separates Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• ✗The McMahon Line was drawn in 1914 as the boundary between British India and Tibet in the east.
• ✗The Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) set out the plan for partition, but there is no boundary called the Mountbatten Line.