Saturday, August 15, 2009

On Independence Day after reading some comments on facebook

So why it is important for us to learn history and to look at the past critically? That question is always important, must be asked and replied again and again so that no one forgets what is there in past for us, and how can we make progress by learning from the past. I was looking on comments by a friend on facebook, on occasions of 62nd independence day of the subcontinent; he has talked about Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and his thoughts on creation of Pakistan. Several people have commented on his thoughts and I was just reviewing them, there is much to observe in those comments, it tells a lot about how we pakistanis react when we face challenges to our commonly accepted beliefs.

Fact is that there are very few controversies in history like the partition of India, it is surrounded by so much conflicts, confusion, hatred and blood that it is not easy for any one to look at the events transparently. The states who came into being after the partition, continued the tradition of hatred and controversy which added into the complexity and truth became the last priority in saving the interests of states, parties, faiths and sects.

Question is that why shall we seek to clear the blur picture of partition of India? why is it important for us to understand the factors behind the drama of partition? and why it is important for Pakistan and Pakistanis? Those who have argument against my friend, insist the same that it is useless to raise questions, that past is past and Pakistan is a reality, that we must not cast a doubt on the history we read about Pakistan. Another common sentimental reaction is to ask how much sacrifices we have made for Pakistan? If we talk about Pakistan with caution, if we want to debate about its history, we are not worthy Pakistanis. Another dangerous trend is to divide the scholars and leaders based on their association to that of Congress or Muslim League etc.

Partition of India set the base of a rivalry between India and Pakistan, which can only be addressed if we analyze what happened in history; which events, situations, sentiments, motives and interests lead to rising communalism in India and ended up on partition. If we figure out those root causes of the conflict, we can better address them on a common ground and hence we can lie the foundation of a peaceful future and we can look out to solve our conflicts. It is not necessary that history repeats itself and we continue the mentality of war and hatred.

So it should be clear that it is necessary for us to ask what happened in past and try to understand it, so that we can improve. We at present are raised up with believes that all hindus are our enemies, we justify our wars with India based on same theory, we always feel insecure because of same theory of communalism, we think only we have right to live, we think all those who live on the other side of border are not humans, we think of them as enemies, not like fathers, brother, mothers, sisters, sons and daughters they are, we never think of them like us. We forget that there is a muslim population almost equal to 138 million in India. We have been told to hate Indians, so that we can keep quite on ridiculous expenses on defense, so that we do not object on the status quo in Pakistan, so that things can remain in same way they are. Think about your problems, and if you are willing to solve them, you will have to ask questions, you will have to cast doubt. Things can never be isolated, events are related to each other, so without past we can not trace our present problems, hence we can not solve them.

And those who talk about sacrifices, I think, to ask question, to raise doubt and voice against accepted beliefs is the biggest sacrifice. It is not easy to stand away from the crowd. And it needs courage to say no, one has to pay the price and face isolation, rejection, and sometimes hatred and brutality as well. We must welcome those who can ask why........

Now I come to the third dangerous trend, as Pakistanis where shall we classify Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah or Azad? Was Gandhi can be simply confined to the status of just simply a congressman? or Nehru or Azad? Was Jinnah just a communalist? an advocate of muslim separation from India? I am sure history is not that simple, and these personalities can not be simply confined into their political association only. These people were much more than simple politicians. Azad was a Islamic scholar of repute, a linguist, a writer, a philosopher, then he was a congressman. Gandhi was an inspiration for the world, he lead a mass movement in an India which was largely divided, uneducated, undisciplined; he gave India a hope, a hope to rise again, he was not just a politician. So was Jinnah, a secular moderate who was inspired by Renade, Gokhle and Feroz Shah Mehta, a Lawyer of unprecedented reputation, a leader of hindus and muslims, who later chose a path which was never ideal for him but he was forced to opt for it, he was never happy for the 'moth eaten Pakistan' he got. he was too a leader of India, not just muslims or Pakistan. All those leaders were leaders of India, a far bigger and united India than we can imagine.