Delhi : It is hard to imagine Dubai as anything other than part of the United Arab Emirates. But history almost took a very different course. Dubai almost became a part of India or Pakistan.
According to historian and author Sam Dalrymple, parts of the Gulf, including present-day Dubai, were once administered as part of British India.
Even more surprising is that, in the run-up to Independence, British officials briefly considered whether these territories should remain under India or become part of Pakistan after the Partition.
The little-known chapter has been highlighted by Dalrymple on Instagram while discussing his book Shattered Lands. It sheds light on a period when the political map of the region looked very different from what we know today.
For decades, much of the Gulf was not administered from London. Instead, it was governed from Delhi as part of the British Indian Empire.
