Why do Pakistan and India celebrate Independence Day one day apart?

The two nations were born on the same day in August 1947

Pakistani Rangers, right, and Indian Border Security Force soldiers on the eve of Pakistan's Independence Day celebrations. AFP

At midnight on August 14, 1947, the Indian Independence Act came into being, effectively ending 200 years of British colonialism and splitting the country into India and Pakistan.

“As from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan,” the Act states.

But why does Pakistan celebrate its Independence Day on August 14, a day earlier than India?

According to historians, it was all down to the schedule of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British India. As India decided to hold celebrations at midnight on August 14, it would have been impossible for Lord Mountbatten to attend two events to hand over power on the same day.

A solution was found by advancing Mountbatten's visit to Karachi, the capital of Pakistan at the time, where, on August 14 he transferred power to Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Constituent Assembly.

“Tomorrow the government of the new dominion of Pakistan will rest in your hands,” Lord Mountbatten said in his speech. “Tomorrow two new sovereign states will take their place in the Commonwealth. Not young nations, but the heirs to old and proud civilisations, fully independent states, whose leaders and statesmen, already known and respected throughout the world; whose poets and philosophers, scientists and warriors, have made their imperishable contribution to the service of mankind.”

The next day, in independent India, first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru made his famed Tryst with Destiny speech at the stroke of midnight above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi.

“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially,” he said. “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”

What happened on August 14, 1947?

Despite the historic moment of independence, the division of India in 1947, known as the Partition, was followed by widespread violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, as millions migrated between the newly created states largely based on their religion.

It's thought that about 10 million Muslims left India during this time, while a similar number of Hindus were displaced and came to India. Hundreds of thousands died in the ensuing violence.

The scars of the partition created great hostility and distrust between the two nations, some of which still exists today.

Celebrations in the UAE

On Sunday, the Pakistan Association Dubai hosted an Emirates loves Pakistan event at the Dubai World Trade Centre to mark the anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day.

Guests at the event included Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, as well as Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, the Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE.

More than 10,000 people attended, the Pakistan Association Dubai said, and were treated to performances by top Pakistani artists.

A number of Pakistani achievers were also honoured at the event, including Chaudary Abdul Hameed, founder of Ravi Restaurant; Halima Jumani, co-founder of online grocery store Kibsons; and Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder of Careem app.

“On this special occasion of your country’s day of Independence, we in the UAE are proud to join the people of Pakistan in offering hope and optimism for the future of our countries, our region, and the world,” Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak said. “We in the UAE are proud to work with our Pakistani brothers and sisters to achieve regional and global progress and prosperity.”

On August 15, meanwhile, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Sunjay Sudhir, will hoist the flag at the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi, while the Consul General of India, Satish Kumar Sivan, will do the same at the Consulate General of India in Dubai.