Violence, Migration, and Development in Gujranwala and Sialkot,
1947–1961

by Ilyas Chattha

 

Oxford University Press Karachi

Hardback 322 pages ISBN: 9780199061723 Price: Rs.795.00; To order the book: shiraz.haider@oup.com 

It clearly would be of international interest for both scholars and general readers in history, sociology and politics. It will particularly be of interest to students and scholars of South Asian studies and to those concerned with the studies of ethnic violence, migration/refugee and urban development. The book would attract interest both from university libraries and individuals. The interested lay reader too will find it engaging, for the events of 1947 in the subcontinent and their aftermath remain general interest to many. Description 

This book provides original and challenging insights into the processes of violence, demographic transformation, and physical reconstruction arising from partition of the subcontinent in 1947. The study focuses on the cities of Gujranwala and Sialkot that experienced violence, demographic shift, and economic transformation in different ways. The work is not only a significant contribution to the understanding of the Partition process of British India and its aftermath in Punjab that became Pakistani territory, but it also provides an authoritative and thought-provoking approach to the themes of broader twentieth-century processes of collective violence, mass displacements, and economic recovery. 

            …this exciting study demonstrates, there were very real distinctions in terms of the experiences    of different cities; districts; urban and rural people; and different sets of migrants too.   It…challenges us to re-think our understanding of what Partition really meant in the context of  this province. 

                      – Sarah Ansari, Royal Holloway, University of London 

            This study focuses on the way certain groups—including poor and oppressed communities—played an active role in either organising or carrying out genocidal attacks. It also brings out in a telling and chilling manner that even those who were meant to protect    minorities were frequently implicated in the violence. 

                     – David Hardiman, University of Warwick 

            ...a significant contribution to the understanding of the ‘new history’ of the creation of Pakistan and the attendant division of the Punjab. 

                     – Ian Talbot, University of Southampton

            Ilyas Chattha deserves our praise for tracking down never-used local police sources that provide a truly new perspective on the local dynamics of Partition violence in Punjab. A real achievement! 

                     – Steven Wilkinson, Yale University

About the Author

Educated at the Universities of Warwick and Southampton, Ilyas Chattha obtained a PhD in 2009. He is presently based at the Centre for Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies, University of Southampton, and is carrying out research on the impact of Partition on the Punjabi Christians in Pakistan.   

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