Migration from East Pakistan (1951-1961)
(Contributed) It is obvious from the phenomenal increases in' the populations of Assam, West Bengal and Tripura in the 1961 Census that they have received migrants from East Pakistan. What has been the extent of this migration? This question will not be satisfactorily answered until Indian Tables relating to sex, age, birthplace, periods of continuous residence, and a few other characteristics are available. Hut the. Provisional Population Totals, district by district are now available and the Population Census Commission of Pakistan has also published with commendable promptitude its Census' Bulletin No. L The provisional totals published for each district in East. Pakistan make possible a few surmises on the extent of migration out of East Pakistan to the neighbouring States of India on-either side. percent increase of populat i o n in the whole of Pakistan for the ten years, 1951-61, has been 23.7. The figures are given below . The Federal T e r r i t o r y of K a r a c h i is presumably the m e t r o p o l i t a n area of K a r a c h i city and its g r o w t h has lo be left out of reckoning. East Pakistan's sex ratio, although quite low, is. however, better than West Pakistan's or Pakistan's as a whole. Yet the former's decennial rate of g r o w t h has been appreciably lower than West Pakistan's. A scrutiny of the district figures of East Pakistan w i l l show whether or not the g r o w t h rate has been u n i f o r m l y lower than the average for West Pakistan, or whether there are districts of exceptionally l o w g r o w t h w h i c h have depressed what m i g h t have been a higher average for East Pakistan. It w i l l appear from Table 2 that 8 out of a total of 17 districts have Table 2: Districts of East Pakistan Arranged in Decreasing Order of Percentage
