After partition

The partition of India in 1947 saw a substantial chunk of Muslims, a number greater than the entire population of West Pakistan, being left behind in India. Now 60 years since, it is time to reflect on how those we left behind have fared! The 2001 census puts the population of Muslims in India at around 154 million as against the population of entire Pakistan at less than 150 million for the same period. It is time to reflect on how the policies followed by our leaders for the last sixty years have helped our own, who for whatever reason could not make it to the other side of the divide.

Have we ever stopped and thought that the Indian sub-continent has been inhabited for the last 5000 years by people who were not Muslims? Islam came to this part only 1000 years ago and the Muslims ruled India for more than 600 years. It was due to the decadence that had crept into the Muslim rule that gave way to Sikh and ultimately to British rule. It was 100 years of British rule prior to partition that Muslims were relegated to a second category in trade, commerce, education, ability of governance and learning etc. During the British rule the Hindus were favoured, but that is understandable since the British had wrested power from the Muslims and thus made the Hindus their natural allies.