Lessons from 1947 partition enough for returning peace without a "bullet"

India too has , but "Pakistan" has paid the highest price for the Partition of India. Jinnah´s descendents could not find peace even in a country carved (out of India ) only for Muslims . The Bengali muslims accused Punjabi muslims for discriminating East Pakistan. Even after the birth of Bangla Desh , the two Islamic countries have yet to taste a peaceful democracy. Do they want to Kashmir also a Pakistan of that class?

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power in 1971 and provinces of Pakistan became increasingly subordinate to central government. It was no different even after 1977 when Zia ul-Haq took the reins. In 1982 the Sindh province people joined with other groups( mostly outside Punjab Province ) in their Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). Three years after that the Sindhi leaders met some Blauch and Pashtoon groups in London . Demand for a Confederation of States for Pakistan was made. In 1986 Awami National Party was formed. Of course the interests of muslim immigrants of 1947 from India ( Muhajirs, mostly Punjabi or Urdu speaking ) were not prioritized by those who claimed their originality in Sindh. In a way the Muhajirs belonged to socially, educationally and administratively well placed muslim community of 1947 British India. The elite of this class though did not belong to muslim majority areas of pre 1947 India but had been active advocators for creation of a " Pakistan" for Muslims. They hoped to secure reins of power and economy in Pakistan. But the "Punjabies" and local Sindhi muslims did not accommodate them with that honour and compassion. Even after 62 years they are MUHAJIRs in their self sponsored Pak "Pakistan".

In the "partyless" elections held after lifting martial law in 1985 by President Zia after religious minorities were allocated separate electorates in nationwide minority constituencies. Earlier the minority groups voted with general electorates in areas where they resided and members of the National Assembly subsequently elected members from the minority communities to sit in the legislature. The system of separate electorates for minorities ( religious ) was retained in the November 1988. These elections were the first to be held since 1976. Ten of the 207 seats in the Pakistan National Assembly were set aside for minorities. This included four seats for Hindus, four for Christians, one for Ahmadis and one for smaller groups such as Parsis, Sikhs, Bahais, Jews and tribes like the Kalash . But still some Hindu in Pakistan did opposed the system of separate electorate and reservation of seats for Hindu. They were of the opinion that such policies would further disintegrate the Hindu from the majority community, ; and would rather would dilute the importance and influence of the Hindu in the national issues of Pakistan. Compelled by the circumstances most of the Hindu candidates focused their efforts in Sindh only ( mainly Tharparkar district ). So smaller Hindu communities / areas faced further neglect / isolation.

It is well known that the 1971 army repression in Bangla Desh (former East Pakistan) resulted in an influx of 10 million refugees into India. The number of those dead was put at 30 Lakh by the assessment of most of the relief and news agencies. Although the West Pakistan dominated Pakistan government and army always treated the East Pakistan ( Bengali Muslim ) with discrimination , the entire HINDU POPULATION OF EAST PAKISTAN was the primary target of Pakistan army during the 300 days of repression in 1971. Population data produced by some commentators referring to Bangla Desh Government and US Government publications nearly confirm that 80 percent of the refugees from Bangla Desh were Hindus or Hindu convert Muslims and that 80 percent of the 3 million killed were Hindus. Thus it should have seen more as a HINDU REFUGEE and genocide problem that emerged in East Pakistan in 1971. But it was not taken so even by the pioneer human rights organizations and NGOs world over.

In the December 1970 Pakistan general election Awami League won 167 of 169 seats and 80 % of popular votes in East Pakistan ( now Bangla Des). As a result of this Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman´s Awami League had majority of seats in the Pakistan National Assembly (167 of the total 313 seats). Till then East Pakistan was generally allocated only one third of the total resources and East Pakistanis occupied hardly 20 % of the positions in the federal government. Pakistan army openly on March 25, 1971 let loose a rein of terror in East Pakistan under the commands of President Yahya Khans. All this lasted till Pakistan Army´s surrendered to the Indian army on December 17, 1971. This terror campaign by Pak army resulted in 10 million Bangla Deshi refugees crossing over to India (per Senator Edward Kennedy's report to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee }. Some dispute the figures quoted for exactness, but purpose is simply to note the gravity.

When Pakistan was carved in August 1947, over 7 million Hindus and Sikhs from what was East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Pakistan's Punjab, Sindh and North-West Frontier Province provinces were forced to leave this new state for India, and a number of Muslims chose the other way from the Indian part as a result of communal heat and fear psychosis . The reasons for this incredible exodus was the heavily charged communal atmosphere in British India, deep distrust of each other, the brutality of violent mobs and the antagonism between the religious communities. The fact that over 1 million people lost their lives in the bloody violence of 1947 and the fear and hate had filled the hearts of millions of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs who took to fleeing even from their ancestral homes and lands during partition. In 1947 it was the British who was accused of engineering distrust between Hindu and Muslim resulting in mass exodus and killing of Hindu from boundaries marked for Pakistan as well as killing of muslims belonging to lands demarcated otherwise. Even there was confusion about borders.

But whom would you accuse even after 24 years ( 1971) of British retreat for suppression and killing of Hindu and Bengali Muslims in Pakistan ? Think over . Still there is time to make the Indian Sub Continent prosper. Hindus and muslims of Indian sub continent had and have similar socio- economic and educational background. It is the matter of perceptions. Imagine those in Indian Dominion are Indian Citizens and those in Pakistan Dominion are Pakistan Citizens , but both having Nationality in "Bharat". Would such thinking not return peace across borders without a "bullet"? Those who trumpet " Kashmir Banega Pakistan" too need think over . Do they want to make Kashmir too suffer like the way even the muslims ( what to talk of Hindu ) in Pakistan have been paying the price. ( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist dayasagr45@yahoo.com )