Had Jinnah been alive ,he would have cursed his person for engineering 1947 partition of India
Daya Sagar Sharma
September 20, 2010
India has the majority of the world's Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Hindus, Jains and Bahá'í population. India had the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia (20.1 crore ) in 2009. In 2010 it may be very much near to Pakistan ( 16 to 17 crore). Jews too have safe habitations in India. Fears that had been expressed by Mohd Ali Jinnah in 1940s have been negated by the people left back in the Indian dominion ( that had majority Hindu population ). Jammu and Kashmir and Lakshadweep are Muslim majority states of modern India. Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya have Christian majority. Punjab of the day has Sikhs in majority ( in 1940s Punjab zone was muslim majority ). Even after carving out Pakisatan as separate home land exclusively for Indian muslims in 1947, Islamic University like Sunni Markaz Kerala have comfortably grown in India. Muslims of India have generally been treated fairly by the Government as well as the majority community. If atall there have been some ill feelings any where , the cause could be fixed in the political motives of the political leadership of India , may it be from Hindu or Muslim communities
In independent India not much could be written on any regular communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim. What ever Hindu Muslim conflicts could be listed would surely find origin in manipulated and exploited incidents. Even these conflicts would have been avoided had the political and social elite class stayed away from exploiting the incidents in the name of religion. Rather Pakistan with nearly 98 % muslim population has seen much more shia suni and ethnic group clashes than Hindu Muslim conflicts India has seen after 1947. Had Jinnah been alive today he would have cursed his person for having engineered partition of India in 1947.
Such objections have not been out of fair intentions. Similarly some politicians have been every next day attempting to sow seeds of communal distrust in the muslims against the Hindu and otherwise. The communal feelings this way do grow and the ill will against the muslim too at occasions gets cultivated. But such outbursts may be momentary. Regretfully the only sufferers have been economically and socially weak subjects of the Indian society.
Worst game is played by the politicians when they appoint commissions and committees in the name of religious communities like Muslims headed by persons of Muslim origin only.. Such action in a way makes innocent community members to believe that only the people from their own community think secular or care for them This weakens the national integration and inter community trust. But still it is the millenniums old cultural heritage of India that has been keeping the people of India united. The majority of muslims and Christians in India have their ancestral roots in the Indian lands and traditions. Therefore , it has not been that easy in India to socially segregate a muslim or christian from a Hindu. Inspite of so many internal and external forces working to communally exploit Indian people India has still remained strong where as Islamic republic of Pakistan has not been able to keep even a single religious community (muslims ) live in togetherness and peace.
It is due to open mindedness of the Majority community of India that the Muslim majority areas in India could be surely vouched even for returning only a muslim candidate to Lok Sabha or Assembly. India has about 12 such Lok Sabha constituencies out of 543 ( 4 are in J & K, one in Lakshdweep and the rest are in Kishanganj (Bihar, 66%), Ponani (Kerala, 66%), Jangipur (W Bengal, 59%), Murshidabad (W Bengal, 58%), Manjeri (Kerala, 56%), Dhubri (Assam, 55%) , Raiganj (W Bengal, 55%).
But the regretful fact has been that the politicians have to some extent succeeded in making the common Indian muslim think of voting for those who would support them more as a community member than a Indian. Muslims hold a decisive vote in about 80 to 90 parliament seats in India . In states like Uttar Pradesh Muslims constitute more than 20% of the voting population in 33 Lok Sabha constituencies. But still the socio economic backwardness has not ended. Instead the politicians have now started asking for religion based reservations for muslims on the lines as have been kept in the Indian constitution for hindu sc /st. . This way they are in a way accepting that there do exist socially and educationally backward groups ( castes ) among the muslims like the SC in the Hindu. no doubt with growing education muslims in India have started sensing the malafide of the politicians. Divisive game plans have not done much good to common muslim of India. Rather this could create some back pressures from the majority community on the poor and weak subjects of the muslim community ALL NEED TO WORK FOR FASTER GROWTH OF EDUCATION IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN INDIA.
In the 4 districts of Assam state bordering Bangladesh (Dhubri, Golpara, Hailakandi and Karimganj) muslim population is between 52% ~ 75%.. Between 1991 and 2001, Muslim growth rate in Assam was 29.3% compared to 14.8% for non-Muslims. Nearly 10 out of 23 districts in Assam are Muslim majority. Six out of 9 boundary districts W. Bengal are Muslim majority. In Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, muslims have grown by 150% and 180%. It has been claimed in some writings that in Nagaland there has been a "new" addition of a designated Muslim tribe – "Semiyan" (descendents from Bangaldeshi men - "Mian" and Naga women ) over last ten years . This could not happen in Islamic republics like Jinnah´s Pakistan. It is only India where all communities and opinions can grow in solidarity.
On the other hand Hindus in Pakistan have been reduced to a micro level religious minority ( about 1.6% of the population). Hindu in Pakistan more so live primarily in the urban areas of the province of Sind in the lower Indus valley . Over half are concentrated in the south-east district of Tharparkar bordering India. Hindus in pre 1947 Pakistan were well educated , active in commerce, trade and the civil service. They needed less support from government exchequer. Prior to Partition in 1947 a quarter of the population of Sind was Hindu after widespread inter-religious violence in the North West Frontier Province and Punjab a big bulk of Hindus living in Pakistan preferred to migrate to India. Some Sindhi Hindus, fearing that violence might spread/ engulf Sindh as well after Partition migrated earlier also. By late 1948 many had left Sind for India and settled mostly in Rajasthan, Delhi and Bombay. Sind at one time had a Hindu majority; however, invasions and later settlement by Arabs, Persians and Turks and conversion by Sindhis to Islam led to a decrease in the proportion of Hindus.
Those Hindus who decided to stay back in Pakistan were faced with even constitutional discriminations. [ limitations were imposed generally on all non-Muslims inspite of the Preamble to the " Constitution of Pakistan" stating that "adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures"]. Where as no muslims worth count have left Independent India for Pakistan for the reasons of religious discrimination.
Pakistan still got divided in two parts just in two decades after 1947. AND TO ADD TO THIS Bangla Desh has not taken even one decade before being pushed into crisis of integrity and peace even The poor of Pakistan and Bangla Desh desperately rush across borders to India for peaceful sustenance. Today Pakistan too is bleeding hard out of her own follies. Whole Indian sub continent is paying the price for the 1947 partition of India as crooked engineered by the British. But for that generations will accuse only Jinnah. How long the rulers in Pakistan would rule that country through the slogans of "Kashmir banega Pakistan " must agitate even the people of Pakistan. Peace would return to Pakistan only when the Pakistan leaders shed the " Kashmir Banega Pakistan " slogan and give their people slogan of oneness in India. In the cause of the Humanity and unity of Indian Hindu Muslim I shall be pleased / obliged to receive any constructive information / correction. ( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist dayasagr45@yahoo.com)
In independent India not much could be written on any regular communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim. What ever Hindu Muslim conflicts could be listed would surely find origin in manipulated and exploited incidents. Even these conflicts would have been avoided had the political and social elite class stayed away from exploiting the incidents in the name of religion. Rather Pakistan with nearly 98 % muslim population has seen much more shia suni and ethnic group clashes than Hindu Muslim conflicts India has seen after 1947. Had Jinnah been alive today he would have cursed his person for having engineered partition of India in 1947.
Such objections have not been out of fair intentions. Similarly some politicians have been every next day attempting to sow seeds of communal distrust in the muslims against the Hindu and otherwise. The communal feelings this way do grow and the ill will against the muslim too at occasions gets cultivated. But such outbursts may be momentary. Regretfully the only sufferers have been economically and socially weak subjects of the Indian society.
Worst game is played by the politicians when they appoint commissions and committees in the name of religious communities like Muslims headed by persons of Muslim origin only.. Such action in a way makes innocent community members to believe that only the people from their own community think secular or care for them This weakens the national integration and inter community trust. But still it is the millenniums old cultural heritage of India that has been keeping the people of India united. The majority of muslims and Christians in India have their ancestral roots in the Indian lands and traditions. Therefore , it has not been that easy in India to socially segregate a muslim or christian from a Hindu. Inspite of so many internal and external forces working to communally exploit Indian people India has still remained strong where as Islamic republic of Pakistan has not been able to keep even a single religious community (muslims ) live in togetherness and peace.
It is due to open mindedness of the Majority community of India that the Muslim majority areas in India could be surely vouched even for returning only a muslim candidate to Lok Sabha or Assembly. India has about 12 such Lok Sabha constituencies out of 543 ( 4 are in J & K, one in Lakshdweep and the rest are in Kishanganj (Bihar, 66%), Ponani (Kerala, 66%), Jangipur (W Bengal, 59%), Murshidabad (W Bengal, 58%), Manjeri (Kerala, 56%), Dhubri (Assam, 55%) , Raiganj (W Bengal, 55%).
But the regretful fact has been that the politicians have to some extent succeeded in making the common Indian muslim think of voting for those who would support them more as a community member than a Indian. Muslims hold a decisive vote in about 80 to 90 parliament seats in India . In states like Uttar Pradesh Muslims constitute more than 20% of the voting population in 33 Lok Sabha constituencies. But still the socio economic backwardness has not ended. Instead the politicians have now started asking for religion based reservations for muslims on the lines as have been kept in the Indian constitution for hindu sc /st. . This way they are in a way accepting that there do exist socially and educationally backward groups ( castes ) among the muslims like the SC in the Hindu. no doubt with growing education muslims in India have started sensing the malafide of the politicians. Divisive game plans have not done much good to common muslim of India. Rather this could create some back pressures from the majority community on the poor and weak subjects of the muslim community ALL NEED TO WORK FOR FASTER GROWTH OF EDUCATION IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN INDIA.
In the 4 districts of Assam state bordering Bangladesh (Dhubri, Golpara, Hailakandi and Karimganj) muslim population is between 52% ~ 75%.. Between 1991 and 2001, Muslim growth rate in Assam was 29.3% compared to 14.8% for non-Muslims. Nearly 10 out of 23 districts in Assam are Muslim majority. Six out of 9 boundary districts W. Bengal are Muslim majority. In Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, muslims have grown by 150% and 180%. It has been claimed in some writings that in Nagaland there has been a "new" addition of a designated Muslim tribe – "Semiyan" (descendents from Bangaldeshi men - "Mian" and Naga women ) over last ten years . This could not happen in Islamic republics like Jinnah´s Pakistan. It is only India where all communities and opinions can grow in solidarity.
On the other hand Hindus in Pakistan have been reduced to a micro level religious minority ( about 1.6% of the population). Hindu in Pakistan more so live primarily in the urban areas of the province of Sind in the lower Indus valley . Over half are concentrated in the south-east district of Tharparkar bordering India. Hindus in pre 1947 Pakistan were well educated , active in commerce, trade and the civil service. They needed less support from government exchequer. Prior to Partition in 1947 a quarter of the population of Sind was Hindu after widespread inter-religious violence in the North West Frontier Province and Punjab a big bulk of Hindus living in Pakistan preferred to migrate to India. Some Sindhi Hindus, fearing that violence might spread/ engulf Sindh as well after Partition migrated earlier also. By late 1948 many had left Sind for India and settled mostly in Rajasthan, Delhi and Bombay. Sind at one time had a Hindu majority; however, invasions and later settlement by Arabs, Persians and Turks and conversion by Sindhis to Islam led to a decrease in the proportion of Hindus.
Those Hindus who decided to stay back in Pakistan were faced with even constitutional discriminations. [ limitations were imposed generally on all non-Muslims inspite of the Preamble to the " Constitution of Pakistan" stating that "adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures"]. Where as no muslims worth count have left Independent India for Pakistan for the reasons of religious discrimination.
Pakistan still got divided in two parts just in two decades after 1947. AND TO ADD TO THIS Bangla Desh has not taken even one decade before being pushed into crisis of integrity and peace even The poor of Pakistan and Bangla Desh desperately rush across borders to India for peaceful sustenance. Today Pakistan too is bleeding hard out of her own follies. Whole Indian sub continent is paying the price for the 1947 partition of India as crooked engineered by the British. But for that generations will accuse only Jinnah. How long the rulers in Pakistan would rule that country through the slogans of "Kashmir banega Pakistan " must agitate even the people of Pakistan. Peace would return to Pakistan only when the Pakistan leaders shed the " Kashmir Banega Pakistan " slogan and give their people slogan of oneness in India. In the cause of the Humanity and unity of Indian Hindu Muslim I shall be pleased / obliged to receive any constructive information / correction. ( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist dayasagr45@yahoo.com)
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