Also Known As Islamic Republic of Pakistan • Islām-ī Jamhūrīya-e Pākistān
Head Of Government
Prime Minister: Shabaz Sharif
Capital: Islamabad
Population in Aug 6, 2024 is 245,638,394
Currency Exchange Rate 1 USD equals 278 Pak rupee, Aug 6
Head Of State
President: Asif Zardari
Form Of Government federal republic with two legislative houses (Senate; National Assembly
Official Languages:
English; Urdu
Official Religion: Islam
Official Name
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Total Area (Sq Km) 796,096
Total Area (Sq Mi) 770,880 Km2 (297,638 sq. miles)
Monetary Unit Pakistani rupee (PKR)
Population Rank (2023)
Population Projection 2030 242,564,000
Density: 312 per Km2
(808 people per mi2).
Urban-Rural Population Urban: 64% of the total population is rural and 36% is urban.
Life Expectancy At Birth
Male: (2020) 64.5 years •
Female: (2020) 65.5 years
Literacy: Percentage Of
Population Age 15 And Over
Literate Male: (2019) 69% •
Female: (2019) 46%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2024) 343,623
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2024) 1538
Source: worldometers.info/
Why midnight of 15 August 1947 for Indian Independence?
Why was the midnight of 15th August 1947 chosen as the date & time for Indian Independence? We can divide the above question into 3 sub-questions:
Why 1947?
Why 15th Aug?
Why Midnight?
Let us pick each of the above and find out the answers
Why 1947?
The awakening of masses by Gandhi and the activities of Bose behind the scenes (of strengthening the Indian National Army) which had intensified during the 1940s was already a cause of concern for the British.
By the time World War II had come to an end in 1945, the British were financially weak (sources indicate they were in the verge of bankruptcy) and were struggling to rule their own country, let alone their colonies. The victory of the Labour Party in the Britain elections of 1945 was received very well by our freedom fighters because the Labour Party had promised to work on granting independence to English colonies including India.
Lord Wavell initiated talks with Indian leaders for Indian Independence and despite several disagreements and disruptions, it was gaining momentum in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the last viceroy of India to oversee the transfer of power.
The plan initially was to transfer power from Britain to India by June 1948. Immediately after assuming power in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten began a series of talks with Indian leaders for a consensus. But things were not so simple especially due to conflicts between Jinnah & Nehru on the matter of partition. Jinnah’s demand for a separate nation had instigated large-scale communal disturbances across India and upon the passing of each day, the situation was going out of control. This was certainly not something expected by Mountbatten and hence such circumstances forced him to postpone the date of independence by almost a year, from 1948 to 1947. It was decided in the meeting (related to independence & partition) on June 3, 1947, which was aptly titled “June 3 Mountbatten Plan”.
Why 15th August?
It was Lord Mountbatten who had personally decided the date of Aug 15 because he had considered that date to be “very lucky” for his career. During World War II, it was on Aug 15, 1945 (Japan timezone) that the Japanese Army surrendered before him (Lord Mountbatten was the commander of the Allied forces).
Why Midnight?
When the date of independence was decided in the “June 3 plan” and announced to the public, there was an outrage among astrologers across the country because 15-Aug-1947 was an “unfortunate & unholy” date according to astrological calculations. Alternative dates were suggested but Lord Mountbatten was adamant on Aug 15 (since it was his lucky date). As a workaround, the astrologers suggested the midnight hour between Aug 14 and 15 due to the simple reason that the day according to English starts at midnight, but according to the Hindu calendar, starts at sunrise. Detailed reasons can be found in this astrological analysis:
The astrologers had insisted that the speech of acknowledgement of transfer of power be done within the 48 minutes window (referred to as “Abhijeet Muhurta”) which lasted between 24 minutes before and after 12:15 am i.e between 11:51 pm & 12:39 am. Nehru had to deliver a speech only within that timeframe and an additional constraint was that the speech had to end by midnight, so that the holy conch (Shanka) be blown to herald the birth of a new nation at the stroke of midnight hour, and the rest is history.
http://guruprasad.net/posts/why-midnight-
of-15-August-1947-for-indian-independence.
