PRICE OF PARTITION: Sealing the Future of One-Third Muslims of Un-divided India 

What happened to the Indian Muslims in the aftermath of the Partition? Sixty-two years have gone by, it is a waste of time for many of us to reflect upon and empathize with the gloomy fate of Indian Muslims. The sad part is that there is no end to their sacrifices; a price for “our freedom”. For years they were led to believe that they could not live with Hindus. They were encouraged to raise slogans like “But ke rahey ga Hundustan, ley ke raheiN ge Pakistan”. The poor Muslim masses were used by their leaders and were abandoned after their purpose was served. Finally their fate was sealed for good; they were beaten, insecure, depressed, confused and betrayed by their leadership.  The attitude of even peaceful Hindus was somewhat predictable; “you got what you fought for, now go to your Pakistan.”. 

Jinnah, the new Gov-General designate, left Delhi from Palam airport for Karachi on August 07, 1947. His departing advice to Muslims was to live in peace in India (in other words; live with Hindus peacefully and forget about Two-Nation theory). After fanning communal feelings for decades most of the Muslim League leadership had disappeared to the safety of Pakistan. 

The unfortunate part is that Indian Muslims were the victims of their own folly   (khud kerda ilagey neest). Now they had nowhere to turn to except nationalist Muslim leaders who were mostly members of the Indian Congress. The most prominent of them was Abul Kalam Azad; six term Congress president and a minister in the new federal Cabinet.  

What happened to Indian Muslims was not unpredictable. Abul Kalam Azad forewarned them but a mob does not listen to logic when frenzy takes over. In no time, after the Partition, Azad was vindicated. Indian Muslims, who spitted on Azad a few days ago, were now begging for his attention. Azad, who himself was a dejected, frustrated and broken person, was their hope and refuge. Azad’s address in Jama Masjid, Delhi in those gloomy days after the Partition is worth listening to. A link and part of his speech is quoted here:  

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4XVdNp694o).  

“Pakistan ke naam se jo na’ee riyasat wojoud meiN aa’ee hey jis meiN Bertania ka pasan’deda ifraad ka ber’sare iq’tidaar tab’qa wo hey jo Bertanwi hokomat ka perwerda raha hey. Us’ke turz-e-amul meiN khidma-te-khulq aur qurbani ka kabhi ko’ee sha’eba nahi raha aur sirf ap’ne ma’faad ke li’yee public ka’mooN mein sha’reek hote rahe heiN aur Pakistan ke qiyaam ka sirf eik hi nati’ja nik’la hey ke Barre-sa’gheer meiN Musal’manoo ki position kam’zour ho ker reh ga’ee hey aur yeh Hudustan meiN reh jaane wale Musalman tu kam’zoor ho hi ga’ee heiN. Yeh Hundustan meiN reh jane wale croroN Musalman jo a’bud tuk Hindu’ooN ke zolm aur intiqaam ka shikaar raheiN ge. Pakistan meiN basne wale Musalmaan unki koi bhi madad nahiN ker sakeiN ge aur isi terha Pakistan meiN busne waley Musalman jis ma’aashrati, iqtisadi aur siyasi pusmandigi ka shikaar raheiN gey, Yeh  Hindustan meiN basne wale Musalman unki ko’ee madad na ker sakeeN ge. Kiya yeh baat ghour kern-e-ki nahiN hey ke jub taqseem ki bun’yaad hi Hindu’ooN aur Musal’manoN  mein ada’wat per rakhi ga’ee thi tu Pakistan  se yeh munaaf’rat ik aa’eeni shakal ikh’tiyaar ker ga’ee hey. Yeh do’nouN molk khouf-o-hiras ke tehat a’pne fauji ikhrajaat ber’haate reh’ne per majboor raheiN ge aur ma’aashi taraqqi se mehroom hotey chaley ja’eeN ge . 

 Leikin aaj mala’mut karoon tu kis ko karooN , kese karooN aur kyouN ker karoN, apne bha’youN ko apne azizouN ko. Kis dewaar se sur takra’ouN.” 

Note: As predicted Pakistan has been suffering from all three ills: social (ma’aashrati), economic (iqtisadi) and political (siyasi)   

Muslim Press after the Partition:

The pro-Muslim League Dawn was closed down on September 06, 1947 when a mob burned its offices (“The Press under Siege” by Zamir Niazi).  

Urdu press, the vanguard of Pakistan, was in survival mode and suddenly changed the editorial policy by writing against the very concept of Pakistan. Here I wish to quote Kuldip Nayar, a young Hindu lawyer from Sialkot at the time of Partition, who migrated to Delhi in 1947 and ironically found a job in ‘Anjam’, an Urdu newspaper owned by a Muslim.  

“I could not get an opening in any English newspaper but a Muslim-owned daily hired me because I was proficient in Urdu. Anjam, literally means the end, and I began my journalistic career from the end. I had to teach English and mathematics to the owner’s two sons in addition to working the evening shift on the desk. The Anjam office was located in Billimaran, a purely Muslim locality where a pall of tragedy hung in the atmosphere. The local people and their forefathers lived in the labyrinth of lanes and by-lanes, with houses upon houses, with bamboo shaded windows, the chiks, for generations. The narrowness of the locality gave the inhabitants, intimacy and security. ------------------------. Ghalib, the famous Urdu poet, had lived here nearly 150 years ago. ------------. 

I was depressed by the spectacle because for me Partition was the assertion of the odd aspect of religion: its frenzy and anger. The Muslims I met at Billimaran and the adjoining Saddar Bazar had fear writ large on their faces. They felt insecure and rudderless. They wanted to turn over a new leaf in their lives and the Muslim press was their guide. But its Valte face confused them. It began to run down the birth of Pakistan, which a few days earlier was the only solution to the problems of Muslims. Without giving readers any explanation, the Muslim press criticized even the concept of Pakistan. The Hindus doing business in the area were relentless in their pressure on Muslims to migrate to Pakistan. They told them openly that they had no right to stay in India now that Pakistan had been created. This was exactly what Azad had told them would the Hindus’ argument. 

The attitude of my Muslim colleagues towards me gave me a peep into the community’s feelings. They treated me as if I was a number one citizen and they were number two. They behaved like a person with a hat in hand. Their dependence on the generosity of the majority community was pathetic. They look for crumbs, a kind word which would lift their spirits. Little did they realize that Pakistan was the cross which they, their children and grandchildren would have to bear for many, many years to come. 

Muslims of India turn their attention to Azad whom they now saw their savior. Only a short time ago, they had abused him and called him the Hindus’ ‘showboy’. Students of Aligarh Muslim University spat in his face when some days before Partition he traveled by rail through Aligarh on the way to Calcutta, his home town. Things had changed now and the Maulana became their refuge. In fact most of them took no time to rally behind the nationalist Muslims who had fought for freedom along with Hindus.”  

(‘Tales of Two Cities’ by Kuldip nayar/Asif Noorani)    

Conclusion:

Pakistan, in spite of its short comings, was a peaceful place to live in fifties and sixties. Looking at today’s security situation yesterday was enviable. With every passing year our hope for a progressive, secular and democratic Pakistan is fading away. As geographical borders do not change peacefully we hope for a positive outcome of Pakistan’s current problems and pray that our people may not suffer another bloodbath.