Division of India, Creation of Pakistan. Review on Man Who Divided India, The - Rafiq Zakaria

An excellent insight into the man (?) who was solely responsible for the partition of our beloved mother country - Undivided India, into two parts Pakistan and the present India. This book written by Rafiq Zakaria is not just about Jinnah but also part history part authors view points regarding what were the events that lead to the partition and its after effects followed right upto Gen. Musharraf's Agra visit.

Before I continue with my review I would like to dedicate this review ''To the memory of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who tried his best to keep the Muslims of Undivided India out of Jinnah's clutches in order to prevent partition, but failed.'' These are the words used by the Author to dedicate this book.

This book has clearly highlighted the folly of those who supported the division of our country on religious grounds and provides evidence to prove that the very grounds on which they sought the creation of Pakistan, that is Islamic brotherhood, failed to prevent the division of East and West Pakistan. East Pakistan separated from their west coreligionist on the grounds of difference in language. (The west wanted to make Urdu the official state language while the east was predominantly Bengali speaking.) And if these people of East Bengal have now preferred language over religion then why O Why did they allow the partition of their province on the grounds of religion?

Coming back to the book, it is divided into twenty chapters.

The first three lead up from Jinnah's birth to his education, political initiation and his efforts at keeping the Hindu's and Muslims of undivided India united.

The next three chapters bring out how he was not very successful in bringing the people of the two communities together and also his falling out of favor with the top political leaders of that time and his having to move out of the lime light which was now shining brightly upon Mahatma Gandhi.

He always was jealous of Gandhiji and publicly referred to him as Mr. Gandhi instead of Mahatma, which angered Gandhiji's supporters. It was this desire for fame and power that as described in the later chapters led him to undo all the good work that he had done in the past.

You will be surprised to know that from December 1904 when he first attended the twentieth annual session of the Congress right upto 1937 he worked hard to unite the Hindus and Muslims and bring them on a common platform as a united front. Though this work was commendable, he found himself isolated due to his stand as the Muslims considered him a traitor and the Hindus could not trust him wholly.

Later when he found himself pushed to the wall, cornered from one side by Nehru who did not trust Jinnah and the Muslim leaders on the other side who were asking for more powers to the Muslims to safeguard their interests, he retired from active politics and returned to London to practice Law, from where he had trained to become a lawyer.

But the lure of politics could not hold him in London. While in London, he reflected and found that it was his wholehearted efforts at unity, which had brought him nothing but isolation and ridicule. Thus he decided to undo all that and from a staunch constitutionalist and nationalist he became a communalist. He used religious fervor to create such discord and put up obstacles for every effort taken towards unity that today he and he alone is known to have single-handedly created Pakistan.

What he has achieved by doing so is debatable. The book goes on to show how the Muslims (all three categories) were the major losers due to the partition. Of the three categories the Muslims who remained in India after division have fared the best. The Muslims who went to Pakistan either East or West have suffered the most and even today continue to suffer due to the apathy and hatred that the Pakistani citizens and administration show towards them. And religion was supposed to have bound them together.

The most important lesson that this book gives is for our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. They should learn from the way the Punjabi Muslims (the original settlers of majority of Pakistan.) have treated their Muslim brothers and sisters who went to Pakistan following the dream of an Islamic Nation. Today those who went to West Pakistan are harassed and prosecuted and are clearly not welcome. While those Urdu speaking Muslims who went to East Pakistan and supported West Pakistan in the 1971 war between east and West Pakistan, are today living in Red Cross refugee camps. Bangladeshi's do not consider them as their citizens as they had supported West Pakistan during the war and Pakistan does not accept them as their citizens only because they chose to migrate to East Pakistan during partition. (But it was one nation at that time, wasn't it?)

Do the small group of pro Pakistan Kashmiris really expect to fare any better than these Mohajirs? When will they realise that Pakistan is First and foremost Not an Islamic State! Their main interest is in the real estate and geographical landscapes, religion is not important to the Pakistani administration. Here it should also be noted that Jinnah was not a practising Muslim. He never prayed in his entire life excepting the acting that he did at Eid gatherings, and he did not know to recite the Quran.

Well the book is too big (239 pages) to be described in a review. I guess the point of a review is to share enough information about the product for the reader to decide whether they themselves would like to go in for that product. So those of you, who are thirsting for more information into the singular event, which has left a strain, a wound on the secular fabric of our national constitution, do read this book. One must learn the lessons that history teaches us, else we will be open to commit the same follies as our ancestors.

I would have suggested making this book compulsory reading at schools but as I realize that this book will never be made into a textbook, I suggest that the media should play an active role in spreading information about how Pakistan is not an Islamic state, contrary to popular belief and how even Muslims are not safe in this country created in the name of a great religion. Islam and Indian Muslims have suffered a bad name due to the activities of the founders as well as successive rulers of this country, which they call Pakistan. The media can and should educate the masses of Kashmir that staying with India is definitely the only good option for them. Joining Pakistan or claiming Independence will only open them up for hurt and downfall. And that action would also have adverse reaction on us, the Indian Muslims.

To end - of course this reminder to Pakistan,

Kashmir hamara hai hamara hi rahega,

Ise khali dhamki na samjhna.

JAI HIND.