Move on to a better future

Move on to a better future

Seven decades have passed and it is unfortunate that the neighbouring states of India and Pakistan do not stand united. This means a lot; impllying a sense of rivalry and tense situation between the two countries. I strongly believe that this anniversary is more of the freedom from British than from one another and should be celebrated in the same sense. History cannot be undone, but the future can be better. What is relevant now is that both Pakistan and India are sovereign and neighbouring states. They both need to bypass what has happened and move on to a better, prosperous future, taking global examples of neighbouring states and how they function together for peace and prosperity. I heard someone recently saying, “forgiveness doesn’t alter the past, but greatly influences the future”.

From Mr Muntazir Haider

Dubai

Unity is strength

In history, for many reasons many countries have been created or come together. Borders are never permanently placed in one place. This Indo-Pak partition didn’t happen in a single day or week or even a year. The dividing rule by the British started during 1857 itself. It slowly grew over the years. In my opinion, separation is not a good, healthy thing. We lived together for thousands of years. What happened suddenly? I cannot blame any single person or country for this partition. If we were not seperated, we would surely be more powerful today, because unity is always strength.

From Mr Selvaraj Smile Prabu

Abu Dhabi

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Cultural integration

A lot has changed since the partition of India and Pakistan, including the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The division that had taken place due to religious reasons, more than anything else, witnessed Pakistan adopting a strict constitution that was based on Sharia law, while India chose secular democracy and became a republic. Over the years a cultural alienation gripped both countries, with many believing that India and Pakistan have hardly anything in common. I guess, if there was no partition, then both countries would have been better off with plenty of cultural integration and families would not have been separated, as it happened when many chose to cross the border due to personal and religious reasons. The British should have considered other alternatives to keep a population intact rather than dividing them. I also believe that terrorism would not have had a place in a united subcontinent.

From Mr Esmail Mohammad

Dubai

 

Hopeful for the future

After 70 years of independence, the word still has no meaning to some extent. Being born and brought up in the UAE, I am a Pakistani who studied at an Indian School and is aware of how we got independence. But, there are many differences, which need to be eliminated. Both countries had the same mission and goal to get rid of British rule and where we can achieve an honour of freedom — freedom of speech, religion and expression. On this Independence Day, we should realise that with much difficulties, our great and honest leaders fought for this freedom and with this realisation, every day must be a better one for our country. The hatred between both countries will vanish through peaceful talks, as both share the same culture and history. We won freedom from the British, but lost unity. I hope this unity will be restored one day.

From Ms Sundas Nawaz

UAE

 

Will the new generation unite?

The partition was a sad end to the freedom struggles. It forcefully hurt one of the richest and oldest cultures and traditions. The movement should have been to keep the entire territory together, as splitting it into pieces is still disturbing people in both countries. I guess most people those days would not have really wanted their nation divided, based on religious sentiments. Whatever issues have taken place since 1947, all of them were because of this feeling that penetrated into their blood and people’s trust had started to fade, which is quite disappointing. Additionally, the entire approach to the issue has turned to much more complex thinking in the recent past. The partition is eventually affecting the daily lives of people, irrespective of which religion they belong to. The unity of the two nations is far beyond expectations. However, a fully transformed new generation, realising and respecting the value of traditions, can help discard the hostile minds to see the two nations prospering in every aspect.

From Mr Ramachandran Nair

Muscat, Oman

 

Improvements needed

It was what that the British rulers meticulously applied on to India’s freedom struggle warriors. Thousands of Muslims and Hindus migrated from both India and Pakistan. Real stories of families getting separated emerged when the most unexpected thing happened in their lives. It is a very harsh thing to recall even after seven decades. Since both countries now have separate identities, they should work to improve their people’s livelihood. Better education to children, good infrastructure and country upgrades are needed.

From Mr M. K. Gunaseelan

Abu Dhabi

 

Praying for a reunion

It must have been a sad day when both countries parted ways. India and Pakistan have been struggling in many ways to be united with each other, but it has not been successful. All of us living outside the countries are working and living together in harmony, then why this separation between our countries? If we all think about it, we can be reunited, which according to me should be taken into consideration and thought over by each one of us. It is high time that we stop the border clashes and be united like our own brothers and sisters. Let us all pray wholeheartedly for this reunion.

From Mr Prasad Warrier

Sharjah

 

Is it too late?

The Indo-Pak partition spelt the doom of a culture, the origins of which date back to the mist of time. It was the saddest episode in the history of both India and Pakistan. A united nation would have been the strongest one in Asia and many disturbing problems and issues, which have made both nations weaker, would not have risen. These issues were caused by religious bigotry and sheer ignorance. It is still not too late. A reunion of India and Pakistan should be made possible by the leaders of both countries, making a united nation that is stronger and is built on human relations and historical bonds.

From Mr Thomas Matthew Parackel

Kerala, India

 

Cannot be separated

I think Pakistan and India have now become a reality, and will never be united again. However, Pakistan and India can shape a joint future in all fields of life. A joint economical and social development could support the millions of deprived and poor people in both countries. The two nations should work together for the reduction of poverty and create an atmosphere of social inclusion. The culture and social norms of the two countries are very close to each other. Even religion cannot separate the two from each other. Pakistan is a majority Muslim country and India has a Hindu majority, but both their traditions, norms and socioeconomic issues are similar.

The reality is that the two must work together to resolve their issues amicably. Pakistan and India can be great economic giants in Asia and even beat China if they work closely together. Fanatics on two sides of the border have achieved nothing in the past 70 years. Pakistan is now on a sustainable road of democracy and India has achieved all milestones of the people’s voice. I do believe that there is a great potential in the two countries, which, if tapped properly, no group of countries can beat. Both these countries have a strong youth population in the age bracket of 20-35 years, which is a great potential. This human resource can be collectively tapped to shape the future of this region.

From Mr Aijaz Ali Khuwaja

Karachi, Pakistan

 

Divide and rule

If both the countries were united again, I think we would become a super power, similar to the US. We would also be leading in sports if we were together as one country. The British lobby divided the economy of the subcontinent in 1947. Just think about it, they divided us because they understood our power.

From Mr Zuhaib Asif

Dubai

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Immense loss

The power-hungry divided the subcontinent for their benefit, which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives during partition. It also caused a lot of tension between the two nations. Even today, people are losing their lives at the border and the hatred is fuelled by the media on both sides.

From Mr Vineeth Vittal

UAE

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