History remembered: When Pakistan wanted to fly its flag at London’s India House on August 15, 1947

As August 1947 drew near, MK Vellodi was faced with a peculiar problem. The seasoned civil servant from Madras had taken over as the acting High Commissioner of British India to the UK only a few months before, in April. He had been tasked with overseeing the Independence Day celebrations at the historic India House, British India’s diplomatic mission in London, on August 15.

But, as he explained in a telegram to the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations in New Delhi on July 22, he had still not received proper instructions from the government of India about the event. He needed them sent well in time so that he could make the necessary arrangements.

Vellodi also complained that the mission had no national flag to hoist, so he would need details of the colours and dimensions of the tricolour.

The lack of such details isn’t surprising. Lord Mountbatten, the British viceroy, had announced only on June 3 that the colonial power would leave India on August 15, instead of the earlier scheduled date of June 30, 1948. He also declared that British India would be divided into India and Pakistan.

In July, he appointed a Partition Council to decide upon the division of financial assets,...

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