Pakistan has been variously described as an “insecurity state,” a “neo-vassal state,” and, by some Western commentators, a “failed state.” This essay argues that Pakistan’s religious nationalism, its “enduring rivalry” with India, and the ethnic conflicts that have undermined democratic consolidation cannot be fully understood without reference to the massive Partition-related migration in 1947. The extent to which Pakistan started life as a “refugee state” can be grasped by the fact that the first national census in 1951 recorded that 7 million people were refugees. They amounted to 20 percent of the total population and 48 percent of the urban population. These figures obscure the ethnic and linguistic differences of the refugee population, which were further differentiated by its place of settlement and the patterns and timing of partition-related forced migration. This essay analyzes the Pakistan state’s response to the refugee crisis and the impact of the crisis on both national and democratic consolidation. It assesses the immediate aftermath of the governmental response as well as the longer term consequences for nation-building and political culture.