The Punjab Boundary Force was an ad hoc military force to restore law and order during the communal carnages of the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

in the Punjab. The force was based on the

4th Indian Division The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, i ...

and commanded by Maj Gen T.W. Rees. The force was unable to execute its task successfully and it was disbanded so that the newly formed dominion armies of India and Pakistan could take charge of the situation.

Composition

The Force had approximately 15 Indian and 10 Pakistani battalions, and comprised

5th Indian Infantry Brigade The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted from the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade in September 1939, and assigned to the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade firs ...

11th Indian Infantry Brigade The 11th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was relocated from India to Egypt in the middle of August 1939 and trained at Fayed in Ismailia Governorate on the Great Bitter Lake. I ...

of the division and three additional brigades, namely the 14 Parachute Brigade (which became part of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) The 43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade, also called the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade or the 43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade, was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during World War II. It was created in 1943, by the renaming of ...

(ex 1 Armoured Division), and

114th Indian Infantry Brigade The 14th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed at Attock in October 1940, and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In April 1942, the brigade was renumbere ...

. The 50th Parachute Brigade and 77th Parachute Brigade (both formerly with 2nd Airborne Division), as well as the

123rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 23rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II from 1941 to at least 1947. The brigade was formed in February 1941, at Loralai in India and in June 1941, assigned to the 14th Indian Infan ...

, were attached to the Force.

Formation and disbandment

The Boundary Force was established on July 17, 1947, with its headquarters at

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

. It became operational on August 1, 1947, but was disbanded on September 1 because of its ineffectiveness in controlling the riots breaking out in consequence of Partition. Maj Gen Rees was provided Brig D.S. Brar and Brig M. Ayub Khan (who later became

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Brig K.S. Thimayya (India) and Brig Nazir Ahmed (Pakistan) as "Alternate Military Advisors". However, Gen Rees refused to heed advice from his advisors, which led to his being criticised; he rebuked Thimayya that he was not going to take advice from him being ten years his senior. In addition, Rees was criticised by politicians from both sides. In the 25 August meeting of the Joint Defence Council at Lahore, Gen Rees stated that the Boundary Force was fatigued and their mood explosive. The British officers, he said, had done their best and the situation was beyond salvation. He further recommended that the two dominions now take responsibility for the security of refugees on their respective sides of the border. After Rees handed over, Major General

K. S. Thimayya General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya (31 March 1906 - 18 December 1965) was a distinguished soldier of the Indian Army who served as Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961 in the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Gen. ...

reportedly took over command of the Boundary Force.

References

External links

* * http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/news-26/ * {{cite journal , last1=Marston , first1=Daniel P. , title=The Indian Army, Partition, and the Punjab Boundary Force, 1945—1947 , journal=War in History , date=November 2009 , volume=16 , issue=4 , pages=469–505 , doi=10.1177/0968344509343046 , s2cid=108774387 Military units and formations of British India Ad hoc units and formations Partition of India