Why was India split into two countries? - Haimanti Roy

譯者: 至磊Zi Le 黃Ng 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

In August 1947, India gained independence after 200 years of British rule.

1947 年 8 月，

印度從兩百年的英國統治獲得獨立。

What followed was one of the largest and bloodiest forced migrations in history.

隨後卻發生史上 最大、最血腥的強迫遷移。

An estimated one million people lost their lives.

估計一百萬人喪命。

Before British colonization,

英國殖民前，

the Indian subcontinent was a patchwork of regional kingdoms

印度次大陸由各地方王國拼湊而成，

known as princely states populated by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains,

稱為土邦，

住著印度教徒、穆斯林、 錫克教徒、耆那教徒、

Buddhists, Christians, Parsis, and Jews.

佛教徒、基督徒、帕西人、猶太人。

Each princely state had its own traditions,

每個土邦有自己的傳統、

caste backgrounds, and leadership.

種姓背景、領導人。

Starting in the 1500s, a series of European powers colonized India

自 1500 年代起，

歐洲列強透過沿海貿易協定殖民印度，

with coastal trading settlements.

By the mid-18th century, the English East India Company

18 世紀中葉，英國東印度公司

emerged as the primary colonial power in India.

成為印度殖民地的最主要勢力。

The British ruled some provinces directly, and ruled the princely states indirectly.

英國人直接統治一些省份， 間接統治土邦。

Under indirect rule, the princely states remained sovereign

間接統治下， 這些土邦保持主權獨立，

but made political and financial concessions to the British.

但在政治和經濟上對英國妥協。

In the 19th century, the British began to categorize Indians by religious identity—

在 19 世紀，英國人 開始將印度人依宗教分類——

a gross simplification of the communities in India.

過度簡化了印度社會。

They counted Hindus as “majorities”

他們將印度教徒視為「多數」，

and all other religious communities as distinct “minorities,”

其他所有宗教族群被視為「少數」，

with Muslims being the largest minority.

穆斯林是最大的少數。

Sikhs were considered part of the Hindu community by everyone but themselves.

除了他們自己，所有人都認為 錫克人屬於印度教。

In elections, people could only vote for candidates

選舉時，

人民只能投給 和自己宗教相同的候選人。

of their own religious identification.

These practices exaggerated differences,

這些措施誇大了歧異，

sowing distrust between communities that had previously co-existed.

使原本和平共處的各族群互不信任。

The 20th century began with decades of anti-colonial movements,

20 世紀開啟了 數十年的反殖民運動，

where Indians fought for independence from Britain.

印度人爭取獨立，脫離英國。

In the aftermath of World War II,

英國在二戰結束後，

under enormous financial strain from the war,

因戰爭而處於巨大的財政壓力下，

Britain finally caved.

終於讓步。

Indian political leaders had differing views

印度的各政治領袖對獨立的印度 應是何種樣貌有所歧見。

on what an independent India should look like.

Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru represented the Hindu majority

代表印度教多數族群的甘地和尼赫魯

and wanted one united India.

想要統一的印度。

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who led the Muslim minority,

穆罕默德‧阿里‧真納 領導屬於少數族群的穆斯林，

thought the rifts created by colonization were too deep to repair.

他認為殖民統治 製造的裂痕太深，難以修復。

Jinnah argued for a two nation division

真納主張兩國分治，

where Muslims would have a homeland called Pakistan.

讓穆斯林擁有自己的國土， 稱為巴基斯坦。

Following riots in 1946 and 1947, the British expedited their retreat,

1946 和 1947 年的暴動後， 英國人加速撤離，

planning Indian independence behind closed doors.

未與印度人商討， 私自計劃印度獨立事宜。

In June 1947, the British viceroy announced that India

1947 年 6 月，

英籍總督宣布印度將於八月獨立，

would gain independence by August,

and be partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan—

並分成印度教徒的印度 和穆斯林的巴基斯坦，

but gave little explanation of how exactly this would happen.

但沒有解釋具體上如何實現。

Using outdated maps, inaccurate census numbers and minimal knowledge of the land,

邊界委員會使用過時的地圖、 不準確的人口統計，

以及對這片土地極有限的認識，

in a mere five weeks, the Boundary Committee drew a border

在短短五週內便劃出了邊界線，

dividing three provinces under direct British rule:

將三個省份劃入英國直接統治：

Bengal, Punjab, and Assam.

孟加拉、旁遮普、阿薩姆。

The border took into account where Hindus and Muslims were majorities,

印度與巴基斯坦分界考量了 印度教徒和穆斯林在何處占多數，

but also factors like location and population percentages.

但也考慮地理位置和人口比例。

So if a Hindu majority area bordered another Hindu majority area,

所以若一印度教徒多數區 與另一印度教徒多數區接壤，

it would be included in India—

就會被納入印度——

but if a Hindu majority area bordered Muslim majority areas,

但若一印度教徒多數區 與穆斯林多數區接壤，

it might become part of Pakistan.

就可能變成巴基斯坦的一部分。

Princely states on the border had to choose which of the new nations to join,

邊界上的土邦必須決定 要加入哪一個新國家，

losing their sovereignty in the process.

並喪失主權。

While the Boundary Committee worked on the new map,

當邊界委員會在製作新地圖時，

Hindus and Muslims began moving to areas

印度教徒和穆斯林開始遷往

where they thought they’d be a part of the religious majority—

他們覺得自己的宗教會是多數的地區，

but they couldn’t be sure.

但他們只能猜測，無法確定。

Families divided themselves.

家族自行分割；

Fearing sexual violence, parents sent young daughters and wives

因恐懼性暴力， 父母將年輕的女兒和妻子

to regions they perceived to be safe.

送往他們認為安全的地區。

The new map wasn’t revealed until August 17th, 1947—

新地圖到 1947 年 8 月 17 日才揭曉——

two days after independence.

獨立後兩天。

The provinces of Punjab and Bengal became

孟加拉和旁遮普兩省

the geographically separated East and West Pakistan.

分別在地理上被劃入東、西巴基斯坦。

The rest became Hindu-majority India.

其他地方成了印度教多數的印度。

In a period of two years, millions of Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan

兩年間巴基斯坦有 數百萬印度教徒和錫克人

left for India,

遷往印度，

while Muslims living in India fled villages

同時印度的穆斯林

逃離他們居住了數世紀的村莊。

where their families had lived for centuries.

The cities of Lahore, Delhi, Calcutta, Dhaka, and Karachi

拉合爾、德里、加爾各答、 達卡、喀拉蚩等城市

emptied of old residents and filled with refugees.

原本的居民都走了， 又被難民所填滿。

In the power vacuum British forces left behind,

英軍離開後的權力真空時期，

radicalized militias and local groups massacred migrants.

激進的民兵和地方團體屠殺外來移民。

Much of the violence occurred in Punjab, and women bore the brunt of it,

許多暴力發生在旁遮普， 而婦女受到的衝擊最大，

suffering rape and mutilation.

飽受強暴與肉刑之苦。

Around 100,000 women were kidnapped and forced to marry their captors.

約十萬名婦女遭綁架， 被迫嫁給綁匪。

The problems created by Partition went far beyond this immediate deadly aftermath.

分治造成的問題遠超過 這些立即致命的後果。

Many families who made temporary moves became permanently displaced,

許多暫時遷移的家庭 變成永久無法回到家園，

and borders continue to be disputed.

而邊界仍持續有爭議。

In 1971, East Pakistan seceded and became the new country of Bangladesh.

1971 年，東巴基斯坦 獨立為新國家孟加拉。

Meanwhile, the Hindu ruler of Kashmir decided to join India—

同時，信奉印度教的 喀什米爾統治者決定加入印度，

a decision that was to be finalized by a public referendum

這個決定應由多數 穆斯林人口公投定案。

of the majority Muslim population.

That referendum still hasn't happened as of 2020,

這個公投直到 2020 年仍未發生，

and India and Pakistan have been warring over Kashmir since 1947.

而印度和巴基斯坦自 1947 年起 便不停為喀什米爾開戰。

More than 70 years later,

七十多年過去了，

the legacies of the Partition remain clear in the subcontinent:

印巴分治的歷史遺害 在印度次大陸仍清晰可見，

in its new political formations and in the memories of divided families.

它存在於新的政治結構 和分離家庭的記憶裡。