ABSTRACT
This chapter examines West Punjabi refugee narratives in newspaper editorials after India's partition. It underscores how a rich discourse among both refugees and locals, underpinned by religious ideas of pan-Islamism, Muslim brotherhood, and hijrah (migration), facilitated ideas of volunteerism, refugee relief, and mutual cooperation. In turn, these refugee experiences and the broader public discourses about “rights” and “duties” significantly shaped the ideas of citizenship in Pakistan. Hence, this chapter shows how religion helps us understand the relationship between community, mutual aid, and citizenship in Pakistan. It also highlights the editorial space as a critical archive for historians to study refugee narratives across the world.
