Date: 07/01/2014
Mr.M.J.Akbar more rational among Moslem writers,authors than most, speaks well .And comes to same conclusions that were easily arrived by people of India then and now. In fact the bogus nature, the lie that led to division of India, the two nation theory stands more firmly debunked with passage to time,rather than get entrenched which would have happened if there was any significant truth in it.
Here are some arguments advanced in favor of partition.
Moslems need home land so they can be secure and develop. In fact Sardar Patel wished them well in this regard. He said , let each 'nation' develop according to its own genius'. And in a way that is what exactly happened,though Patel intentions were different. Pakistan did not become a home land for any safety or security. In fact it became a hell hole for Moslems, not just for those in its then Eastern wing, E Pakistan subjected to most brutal treatment, along with Hindus, many Bengali Moslems too were subjected to so much cruelty, even Gen. Niazi wondered why his men were behaving in such horrible manner but for what remains to day as Pakistan itself.. And less said about Ahmediyas, Shias that much better. Just elimination of Kafirs alone is not sufficient obviously to create a safe and prosperous home land for Moslems, otherwise with almost all Hindus cleaned out, by this time Pakistan would have written a golden chapter in history for Moslems. But it did not happen.
Even a bigger lie was Moslems of India, are a different nation because of Islam. Here as Mr. M.J.Akbar pointed out, this is also not tenable. If so, as Mr. Akbar quoted Maulana Azad, then there would not be 32 Arab nations though having not only Islam but also language in common , these different countries instead end up fighting with each other . The fact is just because a Hindu converts to Islam, he or she does not become a different national.
Mr. Akbar pointed out nicely and very politely since he has much respect to Jinnah as to why he did it. And he is correct of course in that assessment. Jinnah and Moslem league could not muster much support in Punjab when elections were held in 1935. In separate electorates, that is where only Moslems vote for Moslem candidates they could secure only measely 2 seats. So Jinnah changed the strategy, he demanded separate country for Islam instead of Moslems. Thus successful lawyer he was thus he changed the focus that touched emotional chord ,that was easily translated into spilling lot of blood for the sake of Islam in India and in turn forced the weaklings that were leading national movement for freedom to abject surrender which of course is a different story.
Islam, as Mr. Akbar points out is said to be religion of brotherhood, but not obviously to manufacture 'nations'. Jinnah himself knew that and more. In fact he even warned Gandhi years back against dangers of hobnobbing with fanatic Moslems like Shukat Ali and Mohammed Ali , in order to lead the movement to restore Khalifa, the Khilafat which produced exactly same scenarios , later demand for partition did. Only difference is the latter, i.e. Partition movement was led by secular Jinnah. Both, Islam and Secularism sat lightly on Jinnah. He used them for his own selfish purposes as the occasion demanded.
He was opportunist to the core with no vision just as Nehru was . Both of them wanted to become Prime Ministers ,hold reins of power. If in the process India has to be broken to pieces, people of india be slaughtered, it was all collateral damage in advance of their own ambitions. Gandhi in turn facilitated the process with his pseudo-nonviolence,ended up doing the bidding of crafty British who wanted to punish India for demanding freedom before they quit.
Any how, what we , the people of India, friends of India anywhere in the world as well as all those who wish well for peace and progress in the world for the sake of its civilization and cultural development, need to do is far more important than fixing the blame for partition of India.
Pakistan is not just a lie but a dangerous one. Even now there are Pakistanis who advocate openly for beheading of Hindus and there are some in India who do not mind if that happens. Keeping such 'state', Pakistan equipped with all sorts of weapons will indeed make it possible as we have seen repeated attacks at border complete with beheadings and relentless proxy war through terrorists imbued with same spirit that Jinnah inculcated into Moslem masses of India preceding partition. This is only a part of equation that is obvious but the danger does not stop here.
Pakistan is a peril to Moslems as well, Moslems with in Pakistan where no Shia can be assured of safe return from mosque.Already many other sects of Islam stand effectively disenfranchised ,hounded and slaughtered. And for a good measure notwithstanding the drones, direct attacks by military power of US or NATO with all their modern arsenal and hardware, the same Pakistan which has been and continues to be recepient of largess from these very western nations, targets their soldiers, countrymen in the same manner it does to India's brave. Proxy war though not as relentless as against India, nevertheless continues as well against these western nations , London, New York and in many other places, the cities are turned into battle grounds just as streets of India were once. And in many instances, Pakistan is a training ground for those engaged in exporting terror all over the world.
So continuing existence of this lie is a danger to the world. The lies do not have endurance. The lie can and should be undone. India has moral and other rights as well in this regard to lead the movement . The people of Sindh,Balochistan, Phaktoonistan as well as Mohajirs deserve to be free just as so many Muslims are in India. India is the country where Muslims regardless of their clan or sect can go to their own mosques, return home safe and sound but not in Pakistan,.
As such India has to accomodate victims of Pakistan like some mentioned above to open offices in New Delhi, just like Latvians, Lithuanians did in London despite losing their freedom through out the period of existence of USSR, and work for their liberation from entity called Pakistan.
George Kennan writing in Foreign affairs Journal way back in 1948 advocated a policy for US, to increase pressures on Soviet Union to operate under , so that it will eventually break up under the strain. This is what precisely US did all along with out any let up. Even innocuous Helsinki accords about some human rights were used as a stick against USSR, the Union of Soviet , Socialist Republics..And USSR did break up. Latvia and Lithuania, small, tiny states are free now. By comparison Sindhis and Balochis are much bigger both in numbers as well as in size of their territory held under Pakistan. Culturally, linguistically or in any other respect these and other entities that constitute Pakistan have nothing in common with anomaly called Pakistan . rather they have more in common with India,. So let it go, let Pakistan become history. And that development initiated by New Delhi with well deserved support from civilized nations of the world will go a long ay to make the world stable leading in turn to better progress and further development.
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