The 3rd June Plan, also known as the Mountbatten Plan, was announced on 3rd June 1947 by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India. It was a landmark in the history of the subcontinent as it formally outlined the partition of British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan.

The plan was developed after the failure of previous efforts, including the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946), to keep India united. Mountbatten held negotiations with Congress, Muslim League, and Sikh leaders, all of whom agreed to the division.

Key features of the plan included:

• Partition of India into India and Pakistan

• Independence to be granted by 15 August 1947

• Separate Constituent Assemblies for both nations

• Referendums in NWFP, Sylhet (Assam), and Baluchistan

• Division of Punjab and Bengal based on Muslim and non-Muslim majorities

The plan was accepted by all major political parties, including Muslim League and Congress. It paved the way for the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the creation of Pakistan. While the plan fulfilled Muslim aspirations for a separate homeland, it also led to mass migration and communal violence.