Editing Radcliffe Line (section)

==Process and key people==
A crude border had already been drawn up by [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Lord Wavell]], the [[Viceroy of India]] prior to his replacement as Viceroy, in February 1947, by [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten.]] In order to determine exactly which territories to assign to each country, in June 1947, Britain appointed [[Sir Cyril Radcliffe]] to chair two boundary commissions—one for Bengal and one for Punjab.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|title=Peacocks at Sunset|url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/peacocks-at-sunset/|website=Opinionator: Borderlines|publisher=The New York Times|access-date=15 July 2012|author=Frank Jacobs|date=3 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714183923/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/peacocks-at-sunset/|archive-date=14 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

The commission was instructed to "demarcate the boundaries of the two parts of the Punjab on the basis of ascertaining the contiguous majority areas of Muslims and non-Muslims. In doing so, it will also take into account other factors."<ref>Mansergy</ref> Other factors were undefined, giving Radcliffe leeway, but included decisions regarding "natural boundaries, communications, watercourses and irrigation systems", as well as socio-political consideration.<ref>{{harvnb|Read & Fisher, The Proudest Day|1998|p=483}}</ref> Each commission also had four representatives—two from the [[Indian National Congress]] and two from the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]]. Given the deadlock between the interests of the two sides and their rancorous relationship, the final decision was essentially Radcliffe's.

After arriving in India on 8 July 1947, Radcliffe was given just five weeks to decide on a border.<ref name="NYT" /> He soon met with his fellow college alumnus Mountbatten and travelled to [[Lahore]] and [[Calcutta]] to meet with commission members, chiefly Nehru from the Congress and Jinnah, president of the Muslim League.<ref>{{harvnb|Read & Fisher, The Proudest Day|1998|pp=482–483}}</ref> He objected to the short time frame, but all parties were insistent that the line be finished by the 15 August British withdrawal from India. Mountbatten had accepted the post as Viceroy on the condition of an early deadline.<ref>{{harvnb|Read & Fisher, The Proudest Day|1998|p=418}}: "He wrote to then Prime Minister [[Clement Attlee]], 'It makes all the difference to me to know that you propose to make a statement in the House, terminating the British 'Raj' on a definite and specified date; or earlier than this date, if the Indian Parties can agree a constitution and form a Government before this.'"</ref> The decision was completed just a couple of days before the withdrawal, but due to political considerations, not published until 17 August 1947, two days after the grant of independence to India and Pakistan.<ref name=NYT/>

=== Members of the commissions ===

Each boundary commission consisted of five people – a chairman ([[Cyril Radcliffe, 1st Viscount Radcliffe|Radcliffe]]), two members nominated by the [[Indian National Congress]] and two members nominated by the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Minutes of the award meeting : Held on 16 August 1947|url=http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indianindependence/indiapakistan/partition9/|access-date=11 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141122074504/http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indianindependence/indiapakistan/partition9/|archive-date=22 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Bengal Boundary Commission consisted of justices C. C. Biswas, [[Bijan Kumar Mukherjea|B. K. Mukherji]], [[Abu Saleh Muhammad Akram|Abu Saleh Mohamed Akram]] and [[S. A. Rahman|S.A.Rahman]].<ref name=Chester>{{cite book |last=Chester |first=Lucy |title=Borders and Conflicts in South Asia: The Radcliffe Boundary Commission and the Partition of Punjab |year=2009 |publisher=Manchester university Press |location=Manchester |isbn=9780719078996 |url=https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0719078997}}</ref>

The members of the Punjab Commission were justices [[Mehr Chand Mahajan]], Teja Singh, Din Mohamed and [[Muhammad Munir]].<ref name=Chester/>