West Punjab facts for kids
West Punjab was a special area in Pakistan that existed from 1947 to 1955. It was like a state or province. Its capital city was Lahore. West Punjab covered a large area, including much of what is now the Punjab province in Pakistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory. It did not include the old princely state of Bahawalpur.
West Punjab was surrounded by different places. To its east was East Punjab in India. To the south was the princely state of Bahawalpur. To the southwest were the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh. To the northwest was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. And to the northeast were Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Occupied Kashmir.
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History of West Punjab
When Pakistan became an independent country in 1947, the big Punjab province was split into two parts. The eastern part, where most people were Sikh or Hindu, became part of India. This was called East Punjab. The western part, where most people followed Islam, became part of the new country of Pakistan. This part was named West Punjab.
In 1950, the name of the province was made shorter, simply becoming Punjab. Later, in 1955, West Punjab was joined with other areas to form a bigger province called West Pakistan. This was part of a plan called the "One Unit" policy. When West Pakistan was later dissolved, the area of the old West Punjab joined with Bahawalpur to create the new Punjab Province we know today.
People and Languages
When West Punjab was formed, most of its people were Muslims. There were also many Hindu and Sikh people living there. However, after the split of India and Pakistan, almost all the Hindus and Sikhs moved from West Punjab to India. At the same time, many Muslims moved from India to West Punjab.
The official language of West Punjab was Urdu. But most people living there spoke Punjabi. They wrote Punjabi using a special writing system called the Shahmukhi script.
How West Punjab Was Governed
West Punjab had its own leaders, a Governor and a Chief Minister. These roles existed from August 15, 1947, until October 14, 1955. The first Governor was Sir Francis Mudie, and the first Chief Minister was Iftikhar Hussain Khan.
When the province of West Pakistan was created in 1955, the jobs of Governor and Chief Minister of West Punjab were ended. The last Governor of West Punjab, Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani, then became the first Governor of the new West Pakistan province.
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See also
In Spanish: Punyab Occidental para niños
