Partition of the Communications Department: Reports of Expert Committee No. I

Sub title : Detailed Recommendations for Dividing Posts & Telegraphs, Civil Aviation, Meteorology

Subject: Administrative Division | Communications Department | Posts and Telegraphs | Civil Aviation | Meteorological Department

Date of publication: 1947

Language: English

Page: 225 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28043

Keyword: Expert Committee No. I -- Communications Department -- Posts and Telegraphs (P&T) | Civil Aviation -- Meteorological Department | Railway Inspectorate -- Asset division -- Staff allocation -- Administrative partition -- M.A. Jinnah

Abstract: This comprehensive document set contains the final reports and memoranda of Expert Committee No. I concerning the partition of the Government of India's Communications Department. It includes detailed sub-committee reports on dividing the Secretariat organization, Railways Inspectorate, Posts & Telegraphs Department, Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, and the Meteorological Department. The papers cover intricate decisions on asset division (furniture, stores, publications), allocation of staff based on optations, separation/duplication of records, establishment of new organizational structures for Pakistan, and interim operational arrangements for shared services like teleprinter circuits and meteorological data exchange.

Description: This collection provides an extraordinarily detailed look into the technical and administrative mechanics of partitioning a major central government department. The documents reveal the monumental task of dividing everything from office furniture and library books to international agreements and specialized staff for aviation and weather services. Specific points of negotiation, such as the dispute over maintaining the Bombay-Karachi teleprinter circuit and the 4:1 ratio for dividing publications, highlight the practical challenges. These reports, prepared for the Partition Council's approval, were foundational to establishing Pakistan's independent communications infrastructure and restructuring India's remaining system. They represent a critical layer of implementation beneath the high-political agreements, directly informing the administrative landscape that M.A. Jinnah's government would inherit. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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