Jaswant Singh's book, Jinnah : India- Partition, Independence, has
raked up the issue of who is responsible for partition. If one goes
through the records of the event, all the prime actors (the British,
The Congress and the Muslim League) are responsible with various acts
of commission and commission. The British and the League almost forced
the partition upon the Congress. The British prolonged the responsible
government by giving power to the people in driblets 1909, 1919, 1935.
The thin end of the wedge was separate electorate introduced in 1909
which finally led to the partition. They followed two rules : 'divide
& rule' and 'carrot & stick'.
The Muslim zamindars especially in UP were afraid of socialism and
land distribution which Nehru talked about. Their mistrust became
stronger after the Congress refused to share power in UP in spite of
the earlier understanding. Gandhiji's agitations for peasantry
(Champaran & Kheda) for freedom ( Non-co-operation, Salt Satyagraha,
Quit India) mobilized public opinion for Swaraj. However, his support
for Khilafat led to riots, and his prayer meetings with 'Ram Dhun',
'Ram Rajya', and 'Iswar-Allah tero nam' alienated the socialists, the
communists and some intellectuals including Jinnah. Some Muslim
fundamentalists were dreaming of the revival of the Moghul raj. They
have not woken up to the empowerment of the individual through
democratic polity where the majority rules but the minority is
respected and protected.
The British offered a loose federation or a partition. The Congress
rejected the federation idea as the British had taken over India by
playing one king against the other and wanted a centralized polity to
control fissiparous tendencies based on narrow loyalties. The
vindictive acts of the League – penal taxes on businesses mostly owned
by Hindus by the Finance Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in the interim
government and the call for ' Direct Action' by the League – made
Congress agree for partition. The British were in a hurry to leave
India and also wished to have a strategic foot-hold which was later
fulfilled by Pakistan which joined all the military alliances later
offered by USA, along with UK.
Hindus and Muslims share many things in common – language, dress,
customs, history and heritage except faith. Hindus always remembered
the atrocities committed by the Muslim rulers and Muslims were afraid
of retribution after Independence and hence sought reservation, later
parity. From parity to partition was a small step. The pain of the
past and the fear of the future could have been overcome with a grand
vision of the future on the basis of equality and brotherhood. Just as
Nelson Mandela constituted a truth and reconciliation commission to
lay a moral foundation for South Africa, a similar exercise to
denounce the past atrocities of the Muslim rulers who did not
represent Islam and a commitment to the ideals of equality and
fraternity by both Hindus and Muslims could have laid a moral
foundation for the future. Wisdom for such an act was available in
both the faiths – Hinduism accepts and respects other faiths while
Islam says that there is no compulsion in religion. Nobody, not even
Mahatma Gandhi, offered such a grand vision. His offer of the office
of prime minister-ship to Jinnah was neither here nor there.
Now there is no point in blaming leaders of that time. Now both the
countries have to look to the future – future of their people and
their aspirations. There is another grand vision now in the form of
SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation- which
offers a great future for all the countries of the region (
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka,
Afghanistan ) if they maintain the status quo on all issues of
contention and promote co-operation in all fields – economic,
political, cultural and scientific. SAARC was inaugurated in 1985 but
has not yet got off the ground as Pakistan has reservations to join
hands with India as it still lives in the past. In Europe, after the
Second World War, Germany, France and other countries came together as
the European Coal & Steel Community in 1950 and which evolved into now
as the European Union of 27 countries with a single market for mutual
benefit forgetting the wounds of the two world wars. Here is an
example for SAARC to follow. Of course, it requires statesmanship of
Konrad Adenaur (Germany) and Robert Schuman and Jean Monet (France).
Pakistan has no statesmen, only mullahs and military who look to the
past, not to the future, thanks to continued financial and military
support of USA, the champion of democracy and freedom!
September 5, 2009.
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