Part 6
By Dr. Humam Khan
The Role of the Pakistani Army in World War II
World War II was essentially a continuation of World War I, but this time, the Ottoman Caliphate did not exist on the world map. In this war, the primary goal of the Allies was to stop the conquests of Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, as he was systematically trying to avenge the defeat of World War I. Hitler’s forces, in a very short time, established their hold over Poland, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Denmark, Austria, and Hungary without any significant resistance.
In this critical situation, where nearly all of Europe was under threat of falling under German control, Britain once again decided to utilize the services of the Royal Indian Army. Indian soldiers responded to this call of “duty,” and by 1945, eight hundred thousand (800,000) new soldiers were recruited for this war from Western India alone.
Furthermore, out of the military and civilian participants from across India in this war, nearly one-third were provided by the “Punjab Military Command.”
The unparalleled “sacrifices” of the Royal Indian Army in World War I and World War II even astonished the leadership of the British Army, and it became an accepted truth among them that finding a more reliable force would be impossible.
For this reason, the renowned historian and author of the history of the Pakistani army, Stephen P. Cohen, writes:
“Almost all British military generals associated with South Asian security affairs were unhappy with the concept of the partition of India. In their view, the former Indian Army, which had existed for nearly two hundred years, had proven its capability in two major wars and numerous minor skirmishes (so letting go of it was a completely loss-making deal).”
(Syed Ahmad Shaheed aur un ki Tehreek-e-Mujahidin, Page: 362)
What were the Indian soldiers fighting for?
It is evident that in World War I and World War II, Indian soldiers did not participate out of religious honor or national love, nor did they bring themselves to the battlefield due to the spirit of Jihad or the desire for martyrdom.
The main motivation for them was the same one that had incited them to fight against Muslims in 1857; an English writer mentioned this fact in these words:
“For just a few pennies, these mercenary soldiers stood firmly with us!”
After the suppression of the Jihad of 1857, the British distributed vast tracts of land to those who were indifferent to Jihad and loyal to the British government. Following that, it became a continuous policy of the British to grant five hundred acres (one acre is approximately two jaribs) of land each year to a number of selected military officers in exchange for their “distinguished performance.”
After some time, the British government established four large canal colonies in the fertile regions of Chenab, Jhelum, Lower Bari Doab, and Nili Bar, where the lands were distributed for years among the loyal military and civilian classes of the British government.
According to a cautious estimate, a total of approximately five hundred thousand (500,000) acres of land were distributed under the umbrella of this program. These lands were generally given on a 99-year lease. The soldier who received the land was required to enter into an agreement with the government stating:
“It is mandatory for me to demonstrate loyal behavior now and forever hereafter, and to provide practical assistance to the government and its officials during any kind of calamity or disorder. If the regional government feels at any time that I am not adhering to this condition, it has the authority to cancel this agreement and take back the land.”
By continuing this tradition of purchasing loyalties, the Punjab civil administration during World War I adopted a policy of distributing these privileges among officers who had performed notably in the war. Furthermore, the parents of every soldier participating in the war were given rewards in the form of cash and other benefits, widows of soldiers were granted pensions much higher than in normal circumstances, and anyone who enlisted in the army was given a fifty (50) rupee bonus at the time of recruitment. Additionally, the more relatives an individual brought into the army, the greater the tax discount they would receive.
Similarly, every Khan, Malik, or Nawab whose tribe demonstrated greater loyalty during the war was granted proportionally larger estates/lands and titles. Despite the fact that the number of killed and disabled Indian soldiers during World War I reached hundreds of thousands and they faced extremely harsh conditions, millions of Indian soldiers once again rushed to the battlefield for the defense of Britain during World War II for the sake of these same meager worldly possessions.
Therefore, salary, promotion, land, and pension were the fundamental motivations, and due to these expectations and greed, the Indian army continued to serve its British masters for about one and a half to two hundred years. Furthermore, within this army, the most prominent and important role was played by the “Punjab Command,” which, due to its unparalleled loyalty, was given the title of the “Right Hand of the British Raj” or the “Sword Arm of the British Raj.”