Question

Who separated the area beyond the river Indus of Punjab and formed a new province named North-West Frontier Province in 1901?
A) Lord Curzon
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Dufferin
D) Lord Mayo

Answer 1

Hint: He was the Viceroy of India from 1898 to 1905. He was also the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Office within the Government of the United Kingdom from 1919 to 1924. He was criticised for the partition of the undivided Bengal Presidency in 1905.

Complete answer:
The area beyond the river Indus of Punjab was divided by the statute into two separate and distinct parts. Of these, the first part comprises six regularly administered revenue-paying districts, of which one lies Cis-Indus and the other five cover the Trans-Indus plain up to the foothills of the Suleiman Range. This area was an integral part of the Punjab Province till it was separated in 1901. It formed the
“North-West Frontier Province'', administered by a Governor with a Cabinet of Ministers.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Lord Curzon: He was the Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. He was one of the most controversial and consequential holders of that position. In the year 1901, he separated the area beyond the river Indus of Punjab and formed a new province named North-West Frontier Province.
North-West Frontier Policy: Lord Curzon, unlike his predecessors, followed a policy of consolidation, strength and security of the territories that were occupied by the British in the North-West.
He kept ‘Chitral’ under the control of British and built a road that connected Peshawar and Chitral thereby arranging for the security of Chitral.

The Khyber Pass, Khur Valley, Waziristan were places where his predecessors established a base for small British troops. Lord Curzon withdrew them thereby removing the annoyance to the tribal people. His North-Western Frontier policy alongside bringing peace in the north-west, helped in reducing a huge cost. Thus, it is the correct option.

Option B) Lord Dalhousie: He was the Viceroy of India from 1848 to 1856. He was the one who introduced the “Doctrine of Lapse” which turned out to be one of the major causes of the Revolt of 1857. This option is incorrect as the separation took place in 1901 and at that time he was not at the position of India’s Viceroy.

Option C) Lord Dufferin: He served as the Viceroy of India from 1884 to 1888. The major events that took place during that period were the third Burmese War from 1885-86 and the establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885. This option is incorrect as the separation took place in 1901 and at that time he was the Viceroy of India.

Option D) Lord Mayo: Richard Southwell Bourke 6th Earl of Mayo, referred to as ‘Lord Mayo’ by the local Indians, was a statesman from Ireland who held the position of India’s Viceroy from 1869 to 1872. He stabilised India’s northwestern frontier by developing closer relationships with the emir of Afghanistan, Sher Ali. He did this with the hope of negating the influence of Russians in the region and ensuring that a buffer state would exist between the Russian and British Empire. This option is also incorrect as he helped in stabilization of India's North-West frontier and is not responsible for its formation.

Thus, the correct answer is Option A. Lord Curzon separated the area beyond the river Indus of Punjab and formed a new province named North-West Frontier Province in 1901.

Note: Lord Curzon’s one of the most criticised moves was the partition of the undivided Bengal Presidency in 1905. While the move was supposedly aimed at easing the administration of the large region, his real intentions were far less benign. The partition arose a sense of great resentment and hostility in Bengal. It was clear to the Bengal Congress and patriotic Indians in both Bengal and elsewhere that his motive was to suppress the increasingly loud political voices of the province’s literate class, and to provoke religious conflict and opposition against them.