Pakhtoons did not want an independent Pakhtoon land. You Indians claim to come from largest democracy but dont know how democracy works. Majority of Pakhtoons wanted to join Pakistan.
From
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghaffar Khan strongly opposed the partition of India.[5][6] While some Pashtuns (particularly the Red Shirts) were willing to work with Indian politicians, many Pashtuns were sympathetic to the idea of a separate homeland for India's Muslims following the departure of the British. Targeted with being Anti-Muslim, Ghaffar Khan was attacked in 1946, leading to his hospitalization in Peshawar.[11]
The Congress party refused last ditch compromises to prevent the partition, like the Cabinet Mission plan and Gandhi's suggestion to offer the Prime Ministership to Jinnah. As a result Bacha Khan and his followers felt a sense of betrayal by both Pakistan and India. Bacha Khan's last words to Gandhi and his erstwhile allies in the Congress party were: "You have thrown us to the wolves."[12]
When the referendum over accession to Pakistan was held, most voters chose Pakistan by a margin of 9 to 1 in 1947. A loya jirga in the Tribal Areas also garnered a similar result as most preferred to become part of Pakistan. Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgars, however, chose to boycott the polls. When given a choice between Pakistan and India, most voters chose Pakistan by a margin of 9 to 1 in 1947. Some have argued that a segment of the population voted was barred from voting,[13]; but there exists no conclusive evidence to support such a proposition.
My Friend....If someone from a country whose government or its leaders could survive one term without being executed or overthrown, was lecturing me about democracy then I would give it an ear....I care about your opinion on Indian democracy and Indian ideals as much as I care about a barking Yorkie....so please continue..Us Indians are not perturbed.
Now coming to the discussion.....My argument is that if the Pakhtoons wanted their own land and the right to decide this was in the hands of the elected majority Under Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and his majority party in Legislative Assembly, then denying them the right to choose was as good as giving the land to Pakistan...Why?
Well because given a referendum, why would a muslim majority area want to vote itself to a country where they would automatically become the minority?...So Im not least bit surprised about the 9 to 1 vote in favor of Pakistan....though it seems to make you very proud....Kudos.
So in laymans terms, I like Mercedes cars, however my only choice is to go with a BMW or a Jaguar....I believe you understand the rest....
Now Im sure you would argue that Khan Sahib did not speak for all folks in NWFP....understandable....but thats never going to happen as people have different opinions....dont you think that is the reason why this forum exists in the first place?? However the elected majority party always is allowed to decide the fate of its people.....as was the case during partition where the Muslim league decided the fate for Indian Muslims.....Not all Muslims in India wanted a seperate country....
Hence I feel that there were exceptions to the rule made during partition, that favored both India and Pakistan......by the same Mountbatten commision!
On a seperate note...Im actually very happy that India did not inherit this piece of land....especially in the backdrop of the current scenario....We rid the problems of our back!!!
I understand that we may never see eye to eye as we are from diiferent ends of the spectrum....However I do see where you're coming from and can understand your perspective.....Though you should remember where Im from and look at it through my eyes....Please keep an open mind!