From: gc
Subject: Re: Pakistan (The Origin)
Organization: bnr
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 19:09:06 GMT

Pakistan that Jinnah and others dreamed of is quite different
form the reality of today.

They did not the favor the way the country was partitioned.
They did not want the partition of Punjab and Benal. They just
wanted Muslim majority areas to make up Pakistan.

They thought Pakistan would comprise of Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP,
all of Punjab, Kashmir, Bengal (because these provinces had Muslim
majority) AND United Province (Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar (because
they had substantial Muslim Population), and Assam (present day Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya) due
to its isolation, and Delhi, seat of Mughal power, as the Capital
of Pakistan. The vision was a green and white flag flying over
the Lal Qila.

Remember at that time, present day West Punjab, East Punjab, Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh together made up British Punjab.

This would have been a fantastic situation for Pakistan with the
entire Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems.

So, most of the Muslim intellectuals, especially those from Aligarh,
thought they would automatically be in Pakistan.

They even recognized that they would have large non-Muslim minorities,
but that did not bother them, because they planned to treat their
minorities well, since they (the Muslims) would have the political power
of the land. They expected Hindostan, similarly, to take care of its
Muslim minority. They envisaged close, friendly and free relations
between the two sibling nations. Infact Jinnah planned a secular,
modern Pakistan, not an Islamic Republic.

As the idea cought on, it fired the imagination of a lot of people.
They were so close to their goal, they did not find it necessary to
compromise. Infact they did not foresee the mass migration and
displacement that were to occur, let alone the blood shed.

But ofcourse, history did not work exactly per dreams. Princely states
were given the option of acceding to either of the dominions and British
India was cut up along the line of the religious devide (as exact as
possible).

I don't have the exact quote, but when Jinnah realized what he had got,
it seems, he was extremely disappointed. He called it "the moth eaten
Pakistan".

Hence, the ordinary people who had invested most (people of UP and Bihar)
in the leadership of the league, were to be left behind, with destroyed dreams
and fear. But, the number of people who paid extremely heavy price during
partition are there on both sides. And that hurt hasn't healed yet.

I consider the heart of Islamic culture of the subcontinent is still
Lakhnau, Agra. Though, sadly, its importance and glory have been some
what reduced. Any culture, be it Muslim, Hindu or Christian, can
flourish only in an atmosphere of harmony, and intellectual barter.
As in Islamic Spain or Ottaman empire where multi ethnic and multi
religous communities lived together or as in India itself, under
Emperor Akbar. In an atmosphere of Yugoslavia or Somalia, where hatred
and intolerence flourish, the result is decay of all cultures involved.

I concur with you, Javed, that the purpose of this examination is not
to undo history, but to make sure that we do not make the same mistakes
over and over again, as we seem to be doing at present. And that we would
all work towards peace and prosperity for all in the subcontinent.

I do not want this posting to be construed as anything negative. I
have done a lot of reading on the history of the subcontinent. I wish
to present a picture of the socio-political environment of the times.
Nobody ever planned the present situation. You might say they
did not have the "vision thing". Yes. You are right.


gc.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian