Full breakdown of countries that were once part of British India before independence

• Pakistan and Bangladesh are the two countries carved directly out of British India through partition and war
• Myanmar and Sri Lanka were also administered under British India but followed separate colonial paths to independence
• The dates and circumstances of each country's separation from British India differed significantly across decades

Four countries in Asia have histories directly tied to British India, though the circumstances under which each separated from imperial rule varied considerably.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are the two territories most directly created from the division of British India.

Myanmar and Sri Lanka, while once governed under the same British colonial administration, took different routes to independence.

Pakistan and Bangladesh: Products of partition

Pakistan came into existence on August 14, 1947, when the Partition of India divided British India along religious lines.

The new state initially comprised two geographically separate regions: West Pakistan and East Pakistan.

East Pakistan did not remain part of Pakistan permanently. After the Bangladesh Liberation War, East Pakistan broke away from Pakistan in 1971 and became the independent nation of Bangladesh. Unlike Pakistan, which emerged from the partition of British India, Bangladesh gained its independence specifically from Pakistan.

Myanmar and Sri Lanka: separate colonial paths

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was administered as part of British India for decades but was separated administratively by the British on April 1, 1937, well before Indian independence.

This administrative split preceded the broader decolonisation of the subcontinent and meant Myanmar's path to full independence was distinct from that of Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, followed yet another route. Though it was under British colonial rule, Sri Lanka developed along a separate administrative track and became independent in 1948.

It did not break away from modern India but rather emerged as its own sovereign state through its own colonial process.

The common thread linking all four countries is British imperial administration, though the legal and political mechanisms behind each separation were unique to the specific historical moment in which they occurred.

32 African countries eligible for Indian e-Visa

Legit.ng earlier reported that India has released the list of 32 African countries whose nationals are eligible to apply for its electronic visa (e-Visa) in 2026, opening a streamlined entry pathway for travellers across the continent.

Source: Legit.ng