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{{Infobox referendum
| name = 1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum
| title = Should the North-West Frontier Province join India or Pakistan?
| location = [[North-West Frontier Province]] (pop. [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa#Demographics|4m]]), [[presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]]
| date = {{start and end date|1947|07|06|1947|07|20|df=yes}}
| yes_text = Join India
| yes = 2,874
| no_text = Join Pakistan
| no = 289,244
| total = 292,118
| electorate = 572,798

}}
{{History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}
The '''North-West Frontier Province referendum''' ({{lang-ps|د شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ایالت ټولپوښتنه}}) was held in July 1947 to decide whether the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North-West Frontier Province]] (NWFP) of [[British India]] would join the [[Dominion]] of [[Dominion of India|India]] or [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]] upon the [[Partition of India]]. The polling began on 6 July and the results were made public on 20 July. Out of the total population of 4 million in the NWFP, 572,798 were eligible to vote, of whom 51.00% voted in the referendum. 289,244 (99.02%) of the votes were cast in favor of Pakistan and only 2,874 (0.98%) in favor of India.<ref name="prr.hec.gov.pk">{{cite book|url=http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/1159S-3.pdf |title=Electoral History of NWFP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810052331/http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/1159S-3.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRsuDwAAQBAJ&q=referendum+nwfp+1947&pg=PA180|title=A Century of Crisis and Conflict in the International System: Theory and Evidence: Intellectual Odyssey III|access-date=25 July 2017|author=Michael Brecher|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783319571560|date=2017-07-25}}</ref>

The NWFP [[List of Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Chief Minister]] [[Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan]] (Dr. Khan Sahib), his brother [[Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], and the [[Khudai Khidmatgars]] boycotted the referendum, citing that it did not have the options of the NWFP becoming [[Pashtunistan|independent]] or joining [[Kingdom of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9iwFmvKTwcC |title=The Dust of Empire: The Race For Mastery In The Asian Heartland – Karl E. Meyer – Google Boeken |date= 5 August 2008|isbn=9780786724819 |access-date=10 July 2013|last1=Meyer |first1=Karl E. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/110699/was-jinnah-democratic-ii/|title=Was Jinnah democratic? — II|website=Daily Times|date=December 25, 2011|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref> Their appeal for boycott had an effect, as according to an estimate, the total turnout for the referendum was 15% lower than the total turnout in the 1946 elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/1159S-3.pdf|title=Archived copy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810052331/http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/1159S-3.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2013|access-date=2013-12-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Background==

On 20 February 1947, [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Mountbatten]] was charged by the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Clement Attlee]] as [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy and Governor-General of India]] to oversee the transition of power in British India to Indians, by no later than 30 June 1948. Mountbatten's instructions from the government were to avoid partition and preserve a united India as a result of the transfer of power. He was, however, authorized to adapt to a changing situation in order to get the British out promptly with minimal reputational damage.<ref>{{cite book |last= Ziegler |first= Philip |title= Mountbatten: The Official Biography |location= London |publisher= HarperCollins |year= 1985 |isbn= 978-0002165433 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/mountbattenoffic00phil }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=[[Ayesha Jalal]] |title=The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D63KMRN1SJ8C&pg=PA251 |date=28 April 1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-45850-4 |page=250 |quote=These instructions were to avoid partition and obtain an unitary government for British India and the Indian States and at the same time observe the pledges to the princes and the Muslims; to secure agreement to the Cabinet Mission plan without coercing any of the parties; somehow to keep the Indian army undivided, and to retain India within the Commonwealth. (Attlee to Mountbatten, 18 March 1947, ibid, 972–974)}}</ref> Soon after he arrived, Mountbatten concluded that the situation in India was too volatile to wait even for a year before granting independence to India. Although his advisers favored a gradual transfer of independence, Mountbatten decided the only way forward was a quick and orderly transfer of independence within 1947. In his view, any longer would mean civil war.<ref>{{cite book |last= White |first= Matthew |author-link= Matthew White (atrocitologist) |title= The Great Big Book of Horrible Things |location= New York |publisher= [[W. W. Norton]] |year= 2012 |isbn= 978-0393081923 }}</ref> During his visit to the North-West Frontier Province on 28–29 April 1947, Mountbatten declared that a referendum would be held to decide the future of the province. On 2 June, Mountbatten presented his famous ''[[Indian Independence Act 1947|3rd June Plan]]'' for the partition of British India, which included a provision for the referendum in the North-West Frontier Province. The [[All-India Muslim League]] and the [[Indian National Congress]] accepted the plan, but [[Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], his [[Khudai Khidmatgar]] movement, and the [[All India Azad Muslim Conference]], who were opposed to partition, opposed the plan.

On 21 June, [[Mirzali Khan]] (Faqir of Ipi), Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and other Khudai Khidmatgars declared the [[Bannu Resolution]], demanding that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of [[Pashtunistan]] composing all Pashtun majority territories of British India, instead of being made to join the new dominions of India or Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/25-Aug-2019/past-in-perspective|title=Past in Perspective|website=The Nation|date=August 25, 2019|access-date=August 25, 2019}}</ref> However, the British Raj refused to comply with the demand of the Bannu Resolution and only the options for Pakistan and India were given.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ali Shah |first=Sayyid Vaqar |date=1993 |title=Afghanistan and the Frontier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c05uAAAAMAAJ |location=[[University of Michigan]] |publisher=Emjay Books International |page=256 |editor1-first=Fazal-ur-Rahim Khan |editor1-last=Marwat}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=H Johnson |first1=Thomas |author-link1=Thomas Howard Johnson |last2=Zellen |first2=Barry |date=2014 |title=Culture, Conflict, and Counterinsurgency |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B9ZZAgAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |page=154 |isbn= 9780804789219}}</ref> In response, Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his elder brother Chief Minister Dr. Khan Sahib boycotted the referendum on joining India or Pakistan, citing that it did not have the options for the province to become independent or join Afghanistan.

==Administration==
According to a letter issued by the Indian Army General Headquarter on 18 June 1947, the following eight military officers were selected by the government to assist the Referendum Commissioner in the referendum: Lt. Col. O.H. Mitchell, Lt. Col. V.W. Tregear, Lt. Col. R.W. Niva, Lt. Col. M.W.H. White, Lt. Col. G.M. Strover, Lt. Col. W.I. Moberley, Lt. Col. R.O.L.D. Byrene, and Maj. E. de G.H. Bromhead. Some civilians were also included at the lower level of the referendum machinery under a close supervision of [[British Indian Army]] personnel.<ref name="prr.hec.gov.pk"/>

Mountbatten instructed the NWFP acting Governor [[Rob Lockhart]] that “each side should have equal
facilities in the matter of the supply of petrol.” Amnesty was granted to political prisoners, except those charged with serious crimes. Mountbatten met the leaders of the [[All-India Muslim League]] and the [[Indian National Congress]], and the following election charter was declared:<ref name="prr.hec.gov.pk"/>
#It is desirable that in this referendum: a). Electioneering speeches, which can only lead to bloodshed should as far as possible be avoided; and b). The issue should be clearly put before the voters.
#To achieve these objects, it has been suggested: a). That electioneering speeches should by agreement between the parties, be banned; and b). That election posters should be prepared containing side by side and in very simple and agreed language, the issue what the two future Dominions will be and the respective advantages they have to offer to the NWFP. A map should be printed showing the areas of the two dominions.

==Result==
Although the voter turnout was low (51.00%), 99.02% of the votes were in favor of joining Pakistan which represented 50.50% of the total electorate. The turnout was lowest among non-Muslims (1.16%). Among the [[Muslims]] of rural constituencies, the turnout was low in the districts of [[Mardan Division|Mardan]] (41.56%) and [[Peshawar Division|Peshawar]] (41.68%), strongholds of the [[Khudai Khidmatgar]] movement which boycotted the referendum in favor of demanding a choice to form an independent [[Pashtunistan]] or joining [[Afghanistan]]. The turnout was highest in [[Hazara Division|Hazara]] (76.22%), a stronghold of the [[All-India Muslim League]] which campaigned for Pakistan.<ref name="prr.hec.gov.pk"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=4 | Constituency
! rowspan=2 | Electorate
! rowspan=2 | Voter turnout
! colspan=2 | Votes
! colspan=2 | Proportion of votes
! colspan=2 | Proportion of electorate
|-
! Join India
! Join Pakistan
! Join India
! Join Pakistan
! Join India
! Join Pakistan
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| rowspan=7 | [[Muslims|Muslim]]
| rowspan=6 | [[Rural area|Rural]]
| [[Bannu Division|Bannu]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 51,080
| style="text-align: right;" | 65.16%
| style="text-align: right;" | 145
| style="text-align: right;" | 33,137
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.44%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.56%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.28%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;"|'''64.87%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| [[Dera Ismail Khan Division|Dera Ismail Khan]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 45,642
| style="text-align: right;" | 64.55%
| style="text-align: right;" | 158
| style="text-align: right;" | 29,303
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.54%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.46%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.35%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;"|'''64.20%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| [[Hazara Division|Hazara]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 109,762
| style="text-align: right;" | 76.22%
| style="text-align: right;" | 387
| style="text-align: right;" | 83,269
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.46%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.54%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.35%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |'''75.86%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| [[Kohat Division|Kohat]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 52,020
| style="text-align: right;" | 62.14%
| style="text-align: right;" | 116
| style="text-align: right;" | 32,207
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.36%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.64%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.22%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;"|'''61.91%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" |  
| [[Mardan Division|Mardan]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 86,777
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" | 41.56%
| style="text-align: right;" | 1,210
| style="text-align: right;"|34,852
| style="text-align: right;" | 3.36%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''96.64%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 1.39%
| style="text-align: right;"| '''40.16%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" |  
| [[Peshawar Division|Peshawar]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 97,088
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" | 41.68%
| style="text-align: right" | 568
| style="text-align: right;" | 39,902
| style="text-align: right;" | 1.40%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''98.60%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.59%
| style="text-align: right;" | '''41.10%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| colspan=2 | [[Urban area|Urban]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 50,627
| style="text-align: right;" | 70.99%
| style="text-align: right;" | 262
| style="text-align: right;" | 35,680
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.73%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.27%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.52%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;"|'''70.48%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" |  
| colspan=3 | Non-Muslims
| style="text-align: right;" | 79,802
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" | 1.16%
| style="text-align: right;" | 28
| style="text-align: right;" |894
| style="text-align: right;" | 3.04%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''96.96%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.04%
| style="text-align: right;" |'''1.12%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" |  
| colspan=3 | [[Pashtuns]]
| style="text-align: right;" | 301,527
| style="text-align: right; background:#fea;" | 49.99%
| style="text-align: right;" | 2,082
| style="text-align: right;" | 148,649
| style="text-align: right;" | 1.38%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''98.62%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.69%
| style="text-align: right;" |'''49.30%'''
|-
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;" |  
| colspan=3 | '''Total'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 572,798
| style="text-align: right;" | 51.00%
| style="text-align: right;" | 2,874
| style="text-align: right;"|289,244
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.98%
| style="text-align: right;"|'''99.02%'''
| style="text-align: right;" | 0.50%
| style="text-align: right; background:#acf;"|'''50.50%'''
|}
{{clear}}

==Aftermath==
The NWFP was merged into the newly created [[Dominion of Pakistan]] on 15 August 1947. The elected [[Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|provincial government]] of [[Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan]] (Dr. Khan Sahib) was terminated on 22 August 1947 by [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the [[Governor-General of Pakistan]]. A [[Muslim League (Pakistan)|Muslim League]] leader, [[Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri]], was installed as the new [[List of Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province]] on 23 August 1947.<ref name="prr.hec.gov.pk"/> The new provincial government imprisoned the Khudai Khidmatgar movement's leader [[Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], as well as the deposed Chief Minister Dr. Khan Sahib, and some other notable figures of the region. In July 1948, the British [[Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|governor of the North-West Frontier Province]], [[Ambrose Flux Dundas]], enforced an ordinance which authorized the provincial government to detain anyone and confiscate their property without giving a reason.<ref name="deewa">[http://www.voadeewaradio.com/content/article/2914661.html نن بابړه کې د وژل شوؤ سوؤنو پښتنو ورځ نمانځل کیږي - VoA]</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pashto/interactivity/2013/08/130815_ss-nawed-babrra-massacre.shtml زه بابړه یم - Noor ul Bashar Naveed]</ref> The [[Babrra massacre]], in which over 600 Khudai Khidmatgar supporters were killed, happened on 12 August 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/70-years-after-babrra-massacre-victims-families-demand-justice-as-deaths-of-600-khudai-khidmatgars-remain-buried-in-history-4947251.html|title=70 years after Babrra massacre, victims' families demand justice, as deaths of 600 Khudai Khidmatgars remain buried in history - Firstpost|website=www.firstpost.com|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> In mid-September 1948, the Pakistani government banned the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, who had boycotted the 1947 NWFP referendum, and many of their supporters were arrested. The provincial government destroyed the center of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement at [[Sardaryab]], [[Charsadda District, Pakistan|Charsadda District]].<ref name= "Afzal" >M. Rafique Afzal (1 April 2002). Pakistan: History and Politics, 1947–1971. p. 38 OUP Pakistan. {{ISBN|0-19-579634-9}}.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Durand Line]]
*[[Pashtunistan]]
*[[1947 Sylhet referendum]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:North-West Frontier Province referendum}}

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[[Category:1947 referendums]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1947]]
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[[Category:History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1947–present)]]
[[Category:Referendums in India]]

1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum - Revision history

MetaBOT at 14:03, 8 July 2023