Any discussion on India-Pakistan relations is largely emotional. Both sides talk out of anger and distrust. Third party analysis is also meaningless without proper context. I have not read any blogger on either side who has tried to research the genesis of the suspicion between the two communities. My personal inclination has been to go way back to 1757 and trace the developments on the subcontinent since then. The fact of the matter is that Muslims were ruling over the Indian subcontinent since 1192 AD after the defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. When the British East India Company won the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757, the Muslims of India felt humiliated and insecure for the first time in nearly 565 years. Warren Hastings, Governor of Bengal, compounded this insecurity in 1772 by equating the then official Indian languages, Arabic and Persian with Hindi and Sanskrit. For a British Governor it was common sense since Hindus were 75% of the population. For Muslims this was the ultimate insult to be compared to ‘Kafirs’ in any shape or form. This was actually the beginning of the ultimate Hindu-Muslim divide that never got bridged.
It would be dishonest for any blogger or analyst to talk about this subject without due reference to the 190 years of British role in the Hindu-Muslim conflict that resulted into the partition of India. Once the partition actually took place it was almost impossible to contain the mutual dislike and hatred amongst the neighbors. The British reluctance and the American activism compounded the problem. President Harry Truman’s enthusiasm towards Pakistan and disappointment with Jawaharlal Nehru further exasperated the volatile situation. The bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan that needed mature diplomacy without any outside interference exploded with the Kashmir dispute in October 1947 and the subsequent referral to the United Nations. There has been a virtual stalemate since then. Every time there is a new initiative by India or Pakistan to resolve the dispute, it gets further complicated by adding a new dimension to an already complex situation. With India rising as an economic power, any parity with Pakistan is a distant illusion that many people refuse to accept. The rise of China further encourages this myth of parity!
Filed under: Indo-Pak relations Tagged: | 'Kashmir Dispute', 'Muslims of India', Arabic, Battle of Plassey, bilateral relationship, British East India Company, British Governor, Governor of Bengal, Hindi, Hindu-Muslim divide, India-Pakistan divide, India-Pakistan relations, Indian subcontinent, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kafirs, Muslims, official Indian languages, Persian, President Harry Truman, Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Sanskrit, United Nations, Warren Hastings
You are so correct, when you say there has been no analysis of the genesis of distrust between the two communities. If South Asia or the subcontinent (as I insist on referring to the former) is to move ahead socially and politically. All such issues have to be taken up without prejudice by the scholars on both sises of the border. Both countries deserve a new beginning, a respite to the people. Society remains the same, politics have converted it into two dichotomous communities, existing in denials for the last 62 years.
Congratulations on your piece!