What was once called the Indian subcontinent, is now divided into 3 separate countries - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. I am writing this on the day that Pakistan gained independence from the British colonisation, one day before India did as well. On the 14th of August 1947, East Pakistan and West Pakistan - now known as Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively - collectively separated from India, to provide a separate country for the Muslims in the subcontinent and escape the British Empire. Even though the founder of Pakistan was from West Pakistan, decades after his death, East Pakistan split to form Bangladesh due to the disparities and differences between the two regions.

Even after gaining independence from the British colonisers, the lasting impacts can be seen to this day; from psychological effects on the society to the nationwide economic difficulties. 

During the Mughal Empire, people from different cultures and religions were living peacefully in the Indian Subcontinent. However, due to the British Rule, public figures of different religions started to speak against each other and the Hindu majority took control. This was when Muhammad Ali Jinnah decided that Muslims were being discriminated against and therefore, must have a country of their own. 'The British realised that they could never rule a vast territory like India without breaking up strong kingdoms into small easily conquerable segments. The British Empire also made it a policy to pay religious leaders to speak out against each other, slowly poisoning relations between different faiths. The hostile relationship between India and Pakistan can be directly attributed to this policy.' This hostility is still seen between these South Asian countries and millions have lost their lives since the split; threats of war and fights on the borders are also common. This benefited the British as it was able to control the nations while they were fighting one other and so, the British could exploit the lands further to improve their businesses and interests. 'When Britain took over, they forced the governments to import goods from the British Isles rather than create their own products. This led to the local cloth, metal and carpentry industries to fall into disarray. It made India a virtual hostage of Britain's economic machinations which meant breaking away from it would destroy India's economy.' 

Due to the split from the subcontinent, Bangladesh and Pakistan have struggled to meet the needs of the people till date. Both are third-world countries with high infant mortality rates, low GDP and poor health and sanitation facilities. A lot of the government's funds go to the military as the threat of attack from India is always looming. '10.26 bn USD were spent on the defence sector in Pakistan in 2018'.

These effects have obviously been long-lasting as the subcontinent's economy started declining during the British rule. 'Due in no small part to the unethical business practices of the East India Company it can be estimated that trillions were siphoned off by Britain. Such practices even destroyed the Indian industries and ensured that money flowing through the Indian economy ended up in the hands of London.'

It is not news that Pakistan and Bangladesh are third world countries that have had to fend for themselves and have struggled since they separated as a result of the desperate need of freedom and independence. It must be acknowledged that this is due to the inequality fuelled by white supremacy and the dehumanisation of the people living in the Indian subcontinent by the British Rulers. It is interesting to see what extent they went to for their own business and benefits. It is also sad to see how it impacted the nations as these effects will continue to tear these countries further apart for the foreseeable future.

As J.B. Priestley stated in his play 'An Inspector Calls', it is all a 'chain of events'. Starting from the hatred incited between Muslims and Hindus in the subcontinent splitting them into 3 countries, to extreme poverty and illiteracy caused by the wars and plundering economy. 

If you have time and you found this subject interesting, you could read this article on the subject and the book its based on - Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor. Both do a good job of highlighting the history of British colonialism that too often goes untold.