Divided Destinies: The Seeds of Animosity Between India and Pakistan

 

Divided Destinies: The Seeds of Animosity Between India and Pakistan

Decisions on Creating Two Nations

 

Before you can solve any problem, you must first understand what the problem is. The deep-seated animosity between India and Pakistan, which has only grown since the 1960s, is one such problem that has puzzled many, myself included. This hostility has led to a significant rise in violence based on religious differences in India, often unnoticed by the international community. To unravel this mystery, we must delve into the past and examine the crucial moments that set the stage for this enduring conflict.

In 1942, a seismic shift began in the Indian subcontinent. Mohandas K. Gandhi, the revered leader of the Indian independence movement, launched the Quit India movement, demanding an immediate end to British colonial rule. Around the same time, a fiery and defiant leader, Subhash Chandra Bose, formed the Azad Hind Fauz, an Indian National Army aimed at expelling the British from India by force. Remarkably, during this period, there were no significant discussions about dividing India into multiple nations, at least none documented in the history books.

The Second World War was raging, and Indians largely refused to join the British army, seeing it as a European conflict that had little to do with them. India had its own struggles and aspirations, and fighting for the British was not one of them. Countries like Russia and Japan were embroiled in the war, but as adversaries to the British, not allies. The British, desperate for support, made a pivotal promise to Gandhi and the Congress party: join us in the war effort, and we will grant you independence once it’s over. Gandhi, thinking long-term, accepted this, envisioning a future where India maintained good relations with European nations. Bose, however, was skeptical. He believed that fighting the British directly in India, especially with their resources stretched thin in Europe, would be more effective.

The Indian leadership was divided. While Gandhi and the Congress sought a peaceful transition, leaders like Bose and freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh saw the need to prevent replacing British rulers with equally oppressive local ones. They advocated for a strong, democratic India free from all forms of tyranny.

One of the darkest chapters during British rule was the Bengal famine of 1943, when millions in East India starved to death as grain was diverted to Europe. The media, controlled by wealthy Indians who were close to the British, barely covered this catastrophe. As the war ended, the British were prepared to honor their promise of independence. However, influenced by US President Truman, Winston Churchill advised delaying Indian independence to stabilize geopolitical tensions. By 1945, after the US had dropped atomic bombs on Japan, it had emerged as a dominant global power, and its opinions could not be ignored.

Despite their victory, the British Empire needed large armies to maintain its vast territories. Losing India meant losing a crucial security asset. To mitigate this, they devised a plan to divide India, hoping that the divided regions would remain loyal to British interests. They considered various divisions, focusing on religious lines, particularly between Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus. Realizing that dividing Sikhs was impractical, they turned their attention to exploiting Hindu-Muslim tensions.

Financially powerful groups, including wealthy Parsis, Muslims, and Hindus with business ties to the British, were manipulated to stoke communal hatred. The RSS, a Hindu nationalist organization sympathetic to the British, further inflamed these tensions. Opportunistic politicians, including Nehru and Jinnah, were caught in this web of deceit. Jinnah, envisioning a peaceful coexistence like that of the USA and Canada, agreed to the partition, unaware of the larger manipulations at play.

The partition of 1947 was a tragic and bloody affair, creating two nations, India and Pakistan, and setting the stage for decades of animosity. The British had succeeded in their divide-and-rule strategy, ensuring that India and Pakistan remained adversaries. This hostility, fueled by fake news and propaganda, has continued to serve the interests of external powers.

The story doesn't end here. In the next chapter, we will explore how both India and Pakistan were further manipulated by the West, and how this animosity has been perpetuated to keep these two nations from realizing their true potential. The tale of their division is not just a historical accident but a calculated strategy that has kept the subcontinent in perpetual conflict. If these two nations ever unite, they could pose a formidable economic threat to global powers. But for now, the fires of enmity are kept burning, ensuring that unity remains a distant dream.