‘What have I done?’: When Jinnah confronted Partition’s horrors from the skies over Punjab
As India marks its 80th Independence Day, the story of Partition remains inseparable from the birth of India & Pakistan -- and the crores displaced by violence.
From a height of several thousand feet above the tumultuous landscape of Punjab, Muhammad Ali Jinnah witnessed the devastating aftermath of Partition unfolding below him in August 1947. In an account recorded by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar in his autobiography Beyond the Lines, Jinnah reportedly gazed down at the scene of endless columns of people fleeing or marching towards either side of the border, their faces etched with despair.
As if to express his shock and anguish, Jinnah struck his forehead and uttered the haunting words, "What have I done?"
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
