SAIMOON QAMAR

3rd Semester

Group A

05-03-2020

Islamiat/ Pak Studies

Partition and why it was needed

Najmul- Hasan
 A decade has passed since the struggle of the Indian subcontinent to free itself

from the British became a success. The partition changed millions of lives and

made a dent in the world’s history forever. The British ruled over India for about

200 years since they first set foot in the subcontinent in the 1600s with the

intentions to trade. The British however soon took charge and spread the British

Raj all over India. Since then the search for independence began which

automatically led to the partition of India and Pakistan.

Before the partition, Hindus, Muslims and other minorities faced many

difficulties. They fought against each other; there were conflicts, riots and a lot of

bloodshed. All of these things eventually led up to the subcontinent being divided

into two and later three. The British used the ‘divide and rule’ method while

handling the subcontinent which led to many misunderstandings and disputes

amongst the people of India.

In order to stand up against the British and speak for themselves, a party named

All Indian National Congress was made in 1885 which became the driving force

behind the partition. It included both Hindus and Muslims all standing together

with one agenda in mind; to voice their opinions. Now although the party consisted

of both Hindus and Muslims, it mostly was dominated by the Hindus. Muslims
became a minority and soon realised that the so called Indian party was actually

just in the favour of the Hindus.

The All India Muslim League was formed in 1906 when the Muslims realised

that they had to stand up for themselves. They realised the real intentions of the

Hindus when an outrage occurred upon the partition of west Bengal. Muhammad

Ali Jinnah who was a member of the Indian National Congress became a member

of the Muslim League while continuing to be a member of the Congress. Jinnah

later not only became the leader of the Muslim League but also the founder of the

new Pakistan.

Till now both the Hindus and the Muslims wanted the British to leave the

subcontinent and so every now and then they used to come together against the

British in order to pressurize them. One such instant was when the Lucknow Pact

was made. Jinnah was the architect of the pact and tried to make everyone

understand how important it was to stand together against the British if

independence was needed. However when Jawaharlal Nehru came up with his

Nehru report, things changed a little. The points Nehru stated in his report clearly

showed resentment towards Muslims. That is when Jinnah realsied completely that

asking for independence from the British alone is not enough, they wanted a

separate nation.
 Co existing with the Hindus seemed completely impossible. Muslims were a

minority in many different parts of India and were being dominated by the Hindus.

And so the Muslims protested, rioted, voiced their opinions in order to gain a

separate land for themselves. Finally in August 1947, the subcontinent was

separated in two; India and Pakistan. The partition reduced a lot of potential

bloodshed and a civil war. Direct Action day in 1946 is a clear cut example of how

worse it could have gotten if partition was not granted to both Hindus and

Muslims. 4 days of Hindu Muslim riots resulted in as many as 10,000 deaths. This

would have been the situation till date if the British had left without setting any

clear boundaries or dividing the assets etc.

People till date say that India could have been one country since there are a lot

of similarities culturally, politically and linguistically. Although both Muslims and

Hindus speak somewhat the same language, there were still a lot of differences.

Religion was a major difference amongst the both of them. People belonged from

different ethnicities and shared different ideas. Staying together only meant a

lifetime of misunderstandings and disputes over small issues.

By the year 1947, all the leaders except Gandhi wanted independence. Gandhi

believed in a united India but Jinnah, Nehru and the British had made partition

inevitable at any cause. The partition process almost turned into a sort of

conspiracy with talks being done behind peoples backs and not keeping everyone
in the loop. And so the Muslims separatist faction and Hindus majoritarianism

faction lead to the division of the subcontinent with both Muslims and Hindus

getting what they wanted.

The partition helped in easing the communal tensions in the subcontinent as

populations became more homogenous. However the partition did not exactly ease

up all the tensions between the both countries. Till date issues like the Kashmir

dispute or the recent Delhi attack surfaces and makes everyone realise the

importance of the partition.

Pakistan and India both have been fighting over wining Kashmir since 1947.

Kashmir is a large state located to the north of Pakistan. It is a Muslim dominated

area. When partition occurred, the decision about Kashmir went on hold and

something that could be dealt with later. The fight to win Kashmir has actually

impacted a lot of lives. Disputes and conflicts occur on a daily basis. People have

been caged where they are. They cannot communicate outside. There is no ray of

hope since both India and Pakistan cannot agree on anything. After almost 70 years

of partition, there are still people who are being affected by the division.

This is the state after being divided, what would have been the case if the

subcontinent was one. The truth was and remains that Hindus and Muslims cannot

seem to coexist with each other. They never did from the start and probably never
will in the future. Another example proving this is the recent Delhi attack. Gangs

of extremists Hindus are victamising Muslims. Minor issues are coming forward

where Muslims are being accused of doing nothing. A victim also said ‘that police

officers encouraged the mobs to burn down Muslims’ property’. Indian Muslims

have been living under the fear of anything happening to them. Brutal videos and

pictures are surfacing all over the internet but again nothing is being done about it.

Partition seemed to be the only way out of more bloodshed. Although issues

between India and Pakistan are still present, being together as one country would

only worsen the situation. There would have been a bloody civil war converting

India into Hindu communalism and violence. Many people till now suggest a

united India however that sounds like an insult to all the Pakistanis. That is because

for Pakistan, Independence Day celebrated independence from both Hindu and

British dominance. Independence Day is a celebration of the struggle the leaders

did to get their own country and uniting back is not an option to be considered.

It was never as if the Hindus and Muslims did not try to be a unified country.

Initially all they asked for as independence from British rule and a united front

against them. Gandhi till the end wanted a united mother India. However the

events that led up to the partition worsened the differences between the Hindus and

the Muslims. Had the British left without any division, events like the direct action
day would have continued because Muslims would not tolerate Hindu dominance

anymore. Partition seemed like the only possible way out of the entire mess.