Col J P Singh
Historically partitions have never been peaceful. However partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 is uniquely full of pain and savagery. It was one of the bloodiest episode of modern history. It had an extremely painful and everlasting negative impact on future of India and Pakistan. Radcliffe divided British India geographically. His mandate was to ensure that as many as possible Hindus to be kept in India and Muslims in Pakistan. The new borders drawn by him left many people in the wrong country. Best of his efforts resulted into fourteen million people fleeing each way across the borders. Too many people suffered unbearable indignities due to the partition. Neighbors killed neighbor and looted each other. Many of those who survived did/didn’t find a suitable place in their new found homeland. Those who came to Jammu and decided to make it their homeland have not been granted democratic rights. (The tragedy of the partition was so much and so grave that after seeing the mayhem that occurred on both sides of the boundary that he created, Radcliffe refused his salary). Maximum violence took place in Punjab where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs brutally killed each other. Mutual and organized ‘retributive genocide’ took the lives of millions and a half people. Thousands women were abused and children orphaned.
Partition occupies an important place in our history and literature. Number of books have been written and movies made on partition. There are folk songs, short and long stories of partition. Stories of killings and savings go side by side. Some Hindus killed Muslims whereas many Hindus saved them and vice-versa. Khushwant Singh’s novel ‘Train to Pakistan’ is a story of train loads of dead bodies arriving from Pakistan to Atari. On the bogies of those trains, filled with corpses, Pakistanis wrote, ‘Gift to India from Pakistan’. Communal riots of partition made one-thing clear that 1947 took away a lot from us, something that may not be returned. ‘Train to Pakistan’, a movie was released in 1998. A play with the same title was staged at many places. Other books worth reading on the partition are ‘Freedom at Midnight’ by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins; Tamas, a Hindi novel by Bhisham Sani and a movie of the same name; Pinjar, a Punjabi novel by Amrita Pritam and movie. Other movies on the partition are Dharmputra, 1947 Earth, Gadar and Khamosh Pani besides many others. They were for the people of my generation. More movies be made for the younger generation to connect them with partition.
Blames and counter blames on Hindu – Muslim riots are often made and heard. Yes, there were tragic incidents at places. Lot of sad stories have been heard. It was Muslims soldiers of the State Forces who started it at the first place. Aided and abetted by newly created Pakistan, Muslim troops in Maharaja’s army revolted and migrated to Pakistan with weapons and ammunition. On 22 October 1947 fateful night, Muslim officers and troops of 4 J&K Infantry voluntarily took over the night duties of fellow Hindu officers and men to allow them celebrate Dussehra. When they slept after celebration, Muslim officers and men murdered Lt Col Narain Singh, their CO and other Hindus in cold-blood and walked over to Pakistan with weapons and ammunition. Desertions took place in many other units. Certainly sporadic incidents of Hindu-Muslim clashes and killings are said to have occurred, some because of individual enmity. Parja Parshid is said to have organized retaliatory clashes after hearing stories of killings of Hindus. But largely the communal harmony was maintained in J&K. Credit for this goes to the Maharaja and Sheikh Abdullah. Muslim from Jammu who wished to migrate to Pakistan were escorted. My father, Th. Diwan Singh, who was Nambardar, assisted and escorted Muslim Jathas of own and his in-laws place to cross over from Deva-Batala unscathed. Many more noble people helped Muslims to cross over. Some from my village Tanda-Gandharwan returned back during fifties because of love of their villagers. When someone talks that many Muslims are said to have been killed at the behest of Maharaja, I ask them to show the graveyards or name the sea were they were disposed. Mahatma Gandhi visited Kashmir and Jammu 14 days before partition. Seeing communal harmony, when rest of the country was burning, he said, “I see a ray of hope emanating from Jammu and Kashmir”. Nevertheless the myth stands created. I understand Jammu lived to his words.
The traumatic memories of the geographical division on both sides of border colour Kashmir politics. Kashmir issue has a historical context. Jinnah had said, “Kashmir is in my pocket”. Even before the blood shed by the havoc of partition had gone dry, Pakistan, driven by its ideology of two nation theory, spilled more blood by attacking Kashmir on 22 October 1947. Tell tale marks of loot, plunder, killings, rape and terror are still visible on the psyche of elderly people who suffered the indignities. Youths of Kashmir need to be apprised of it. After trying out the options of war again in 1965, 1971 and 1999, Pak recognized the futility of military misadventures and hence resorted to an ideology other than war. Bleeding Kashmir continuously is the fall out of partition.
However there are many stories of human compassion. One such occurred in Malerkotla in Punjab. Two centuries back during the Mughal rule, Muslim Nawab of Malerkotla had opposed killings of sons of Guru Govind Singh by Aurangzeb. The Guru was pleased on the stand taken by the Muslim Nawab and had blessed him. Nothing happened in Malerkotla during the partition. Today Malerkotla has a large and prosperous Muslim population living in peace and harmony. It is in such stories that one sees hope of survival and strengthening of pluralism in India. Stories of Hindu-Muslim bonhomie, despite division on religious grounds, holds hope for future generations despite growing religious fundamentalism. All these stories are important lessons of history, both for Indians and Pakistanis which must be repeatedly told through movies and serials. Their effects still overhang. Indian visitors to Pakistan cherish the hospitality extended to them by Pakistanis and same is true of Pak guests coming to India. Whenever army men meet on the LoC during flag meetings, friendship over rides the enmity. Wherever Indians and Pakistan serve together in foreign countries, they are best of the friends. Movies like Bajrangi Bhaijan and Pak serials we watch on Zindagi Channel promote compassion.
While drawing lessons from 1947, we should look at the 20th century as a whole. It was the bloodiest century of the recorded history in which both the great wars were fought. Territorial divisions, partitions and ethnic cleansing also occurred in this century. Whole world suffered. Unfortunate division of J&K and transfer of population that accompanied the partition, were not the only pains of the partition. Accession of J&K and consolidation of 562 Princely States was also painful. Many of them smoothly merged. Jammu & Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagarh saw violence preceding their accession. Hyderabad and Junagarh were majority Hindu states with Muslim rulers whereas Jammu & Kashmir had majority Muslim population with a Hindu ruler. Nawab of Junagarh acceded to Pakistan. Hindu population revolted against him. India didn’t accept his decision. Nawab fled to Pakistan. Nawab of Hyderabad refused to accede to India. A military action was initiated against him and the state annexed. Ruler of Kashmir delayed accession. He offered a ‘Standstill Agreement’ to both dominions. Pakistan accepted but soon violated it and stopped flow of essential commodities putting state under duress. Pakistan attacked J&K on 22 October 1947. Under attack from Pakistan, Maharaja acceded to India on 26 October. Indian Army was flown to Kashmir on 27 October to expel the invaders. UN sponsored ceasefire came into effect on 1st January 1949 drawing a ‘ceasefire line’ leaving 1/3rd of J&K under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Pak claim over J&K on the basis of majority population being Muslim and Indian claim over POJK on the basis of its illegal occupation are net result of partition. Let us not carry this baggage far too long. Lets not have another partition. That may be more painful than the last one. And for those who sacrificed their destinies, lest we soon forget that, let’s dedicate Independence Day to them as Remembrance Day. ‘Ae mere watan ke logo, zara aankh mein bhar lo pani, Jo shahid hue hain unki, zara yad karo qurbani’.
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