In my post ‘Not aSurgeon’s Scalpel but a Butcher’s Hatchet’ dated 23.09.2014, i have narrated
the story of drawing of boundaries of India and Pakistan at the time of
Partition in 1947. This is a sequel to that.
Recently, i came
across an extract from the book ‘Midnight Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s
Partition’ by Nisid Hajari. This appears to be a wishful
thinking, but here it is:
What would have happened
if India had been partitioned amicably without the rancour that preceded
it?
1. History shows that whoever had invaded India,
be it Alexander or the Mughals or others, had done it through land which
is now Pakistan (West Pakistan in 1947). This land would have served as a
buffer against any invasion of India on the land-route.
2. The fertile land that is now Bangladesh
(then East Pakistan) produces 75% of world’s jute supply. Before Partition,
eastern part (now Bangladesh) of undivided Bengal was producing jute and this
raw material was being used by jute mills in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in the
western part of Bengal. Soon after Partition, the jute produced in the then
East Pakistan lost its market and the jute mills in Calcutta were starved of
raw materials. Thus both jute-producing agriculture and jute-processing
industry in India and Pakistan started facing problems soon after Partition.
3. At the time of food-shortages in
pre-Partition India, areas now known as Pakistan were supplying food-grains to
mitigate the situation.
4. The pre-Partition Indian Army had been
trained together and had fought as one for a century, with a spirit of
comradeship. None of its members looked at any other member as enemy.
5. Many politicians in both parts had once together
fought the British, shoulder-to-shoulder with brotherly feeling.
6. India and Pakistan are culturally similar like U S A and Canada.
6. India and Pakistan are culturally similar like U S A and Canada.
So, had India and
Pakistan been partitioned without ill will or bitterness, what a wonderful
situation of co-operation and mutual help and mutual benefit would have been
ushered in!
But – and this is
a big BUT – had this been the situation, would there have been a need for
Partition of the then India?
Post Script:
As a rising Congress leader, Jinnah was originally against mixing religion with politics - specifically Islam with politics. Later, he underwent a religious re-incarnation and demanded a separate State for Muslims. Nehru and Patel wanted a strong Centre which Jinnah opposed.
Post Script:
As a rising Congress leader, Jinnah was originally against mixing religion with politics - specifically Islam with politics. Later, he underwent a religious re-incarnation and demanded a separate State for Muslims. Nehru and Patel wanted a strong Centre which Jinnah opposed.
