Who is responsible for the partition of India into India and Pakistan? Who started the idea and who wished for it? All of these questions are not relevant today. What’s relevant is the question: What did we achieve from that? The answer is: only losses after losses. Lakhs of Indians and Pakistanis lost their lives during the exodus to the either part of the border. What a loss!
Pakistan that was formed with the intention to have a Muslim nation has not been able to even accommodate the Bangladeshis who are predominantly Bengali speaking Muslims. Bangladesh was later formed after the east Pakistan separated from the west Pakistan, only after a bloody war that took another couple of lakhs of lives. So partition has led only to miseries after miseries.
In Pakistan there are umpteen factions of Muslims who now fight amongst themselves, while there are also multiple number of extremist organizations that call for violence and bloodshed. If one scrolls through the history of the Muslim leaders assassinated in Pakistan, then he would question to himself: Should we need this kind of a Muslim nation? My simple formula is: Only peace in order, can give peace to its nation. Until there is peace in the system of governance, there can never be peace in the society. There is a huge flaw in the order that needs to be put in its place.
And India, although it is not a Muslim nation like the Pakistan, it is also suffering from internal commotion between the right wing and the left wing, while the Indian Muslims are less politically oriented. The rising naxalite arms struggle and the terror in Kashmir are still making India unsettled with its political ambitions. If Pakistan has a 100 factions to deal with, then India has a 1000 factions to consider. The land of diversity has not been able to achieve unity so far. What went wrong? I feel it is the failure to bring in social harmony amongst the people. Ideological and cultural differences are fine. But issues such as racism and untouchability are hazardous to our nation.
As Pakistan, Bangladesh and India have got freedom from the British empire, we may very well ask: What’s our responsibility to make our countries peaceful to our fellow human beings and for the ones in the neighbouring countries?
The constitution of India was made active since January 26, 1950 to let people of India know their rights and freedom as a citizen of India. At this occasion of 72nd year of Republic Day celebration, I can only ask: Shall we talk about peace please?