In Aug 1947, Pakistan was carved out of India as a new State. India got its independence from the British Empire on Aug 15, 1947 and Pakistan was declared a new State on Aug 14, 1947. Pakistan was carved out of Muslim majority areas of United India and hence included East Bengal, now Bangladesh also. East Bengal broke away from the rest of Pakistan in 1971 and became a separate nation.
The creation of Pakistan was mainly due to the political movement carried under the banner of Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammaed Ali Jinnah. The partition of India was a bloody affair and lead to death of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. It left a bitter taste and the first post 1947 generation in both India and Pakistan carried the mental scars of partition. It also lead to a loss of identity for Indian Muslims who were often questioned, mostly by the right wing elements in India about their patriotism towards India. They were often viewed with suspicion. It has taken many decades and the next generations after independence for Indian Muslims to be considered a part of the mainstream society in India. Though accusations are still hurled at them, it is not very common.
Pakistan was created with an idea to be the home to the Muslim minority of India and allow them to handle their own affairs. Though religion formed the basis of the formation of Pakistan, its tallest leader, Ali Muhammed Jinnah, also known as Quad e Azam in Pakistan did not want to create a theological state. His famous speech made on August 11, 1947 was a clear indication of his mindset and what kind of Pakistan he visualized. It was to be a country where people of any religion would have the freedom to practice their faith, without any interference from the State. Mr Jinnah visualized a Pakistan which would be liberal in its ethos and would not victimize religious minorities or persecute them.
But as subsequent events proved, the dream of creating a modern and progressive Pakistan suffered various blows and has now come to a stage where it is extremely difficult to imagine how far it has deviated from its original idea. For Pakistan, one of the earliest setbacks was Mr Jinahs demise immediately after the creation of Pakistan. The country did not have a second rung of strong leaders to take on the mantle of Jinnah and hence it failed to carry forward the dream of its founder. Another major setback for Pakistan, with all the chaos around, was its failure to build strong democratic institutions. This resulted in all kinds of shady characters coming into the political arena and allow its military to get completely involved in politics. Pakistan has a history of being ruled by military dictators. In the last seven years, there has been no active military intervention and the country is being run by an elected govt for the second term running. Pakistans democracy is still not out of the woods. It needs more time to stabilize which cannot happen without creating strong democratic institutions. The country also needs to move beyond the politics of sectarianism if it wants to be a strong, progressive and liberal democracy.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
