Pakistan: A Flawed Idea - M J Akbar

[PeacefulIndian]

Flawed Idea or not I couldn't care less, I'm damn proud and glad that i'm a Pakistani and can live under the Pakistani flag and people.
Ofcourse you'll see such an article coming from an Indian author, it seems like the grapes are still sour and that not everone can accept the partition of Pakistan/India.
Also, Omar is completely right, we would've been a minority in our own country and god knows what could've happened if we still were one nation, perhaps there would be a civil war or a muslim vs hindu kind of war all around in India.
It's better that we both went our own way.
Anyways, i'm Pakistani, and I don't know about you guys, but India does not play any part in my history since i've been born as Pakistani.

Also, to quote this last line:

This is simply propaganda to make Indian muslims and their position and status in India look better, but in reality, they are 2nd class citizens and I don't know how in pete's name they can be proud of a nation which is dominated by Hindu's, but ohwell, I guess everyone has their own choice.
The idea of Pakistan is beautiful, it's called freedom, freedom from Hindu's who hate muslims, the freedom to live on our own and not in a nation which is the so-called biggest democracy on earth and is "secular", that is all but true, the country is ruled and dominated by Hindu's, and the Indian muslims may be proud of their nation and all, but they'll always be considered as slaves in my eyes IF they look at Pakistan with a negative view for no reason at all.
Everyone get's to decide his/her future, the Pakistanis decided theirs, and the Indian muslims decided theirs aswell, however, it's still funny, that whenever you talk about an "Indian", you automatically think of Hindu's or a slight sense of Buddhism also comes up, where do Muslims come into play? I guess that's the perception the world has, and especially from my experience in the western world.
People should not question us Pakistani's will to build further upon our dream of realizing a country which treats it's people with care and is open to all markets, cultures, beliefs and kinds.

I do agree that every Pakistani is proud of their nation. Rightfully so.

However, I do disagree to above & all the comments that indicate that India is Hindu. Does anyone of you actually know what the word SECULAR means? Have you ever lived in a secular world? And do you know how beautiful it is, to be able to live in a multireligious environment?
I bet you don't. Your country's Islamization runs so deep in your blood, nobody can convince you. Nobody is denying Gujrat Riots or Babari masjid. Unfortunate incidents have happended. But our country has got over it. The religious integrity is still not affected.

 

[Contrarian]

Economically Pakistan was doing better than India until ZA Bhutto’s time. India did not undergo thru a process of unmitigated nationalization of industry that Pakistan had to suffer under Mr. ZA Bhutto.

India did go through that Sir. Under Indira Gandhi. It was the threat of bankruptcy in 1991 that forced the government to start the process of liberalization and privatization. That was precisely when India reduced its extreme socialistic(bordering on Communist) attitude.

In 1991, India was facing bankruptcy, with money left only a week of imports, and absolutely no money to give back to the International debtors.

And incidentally the current Prime Minister-Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister in 1991, who kickstarted the reforms process.

 

[Omar1984]

I do agree that every Pakistani is proud of their nation. Rightfully so.

However, I do disagree to above & all the comments that indicate that India is Hindu. Does anyone of you actually know what the word SECULAR means? Have you ever lived in a secular world? And do you know how beautiful it is, to be able to live in a multireligious environment?
I bet you don't. Your country's Islamization runs so deep in your blood, nobody can convince you. Nobody is denying Gujrat Riots or Babari masjid. Unfortunate incidents have happended. But our country has got over it. The religious integrity is still not affected.

India is overwhelming Hindu. 80% are Hindus there's about 900 million Hindus living in India. Hindus wont be a minority anytime soon in India and Gujrat riots happened just a few years ago what's the guarentee it wont happen again.

 

[Al-zakir]

Who care what he think? He is saying all these to make his Hindu master happy after all he is a Hindu hiding behind Muslim name. These faker make me sick.

 

[xpakistani]

Good efforts by the author to convince us about "Flawed Idea".

We salute the vision of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who created a country which brought about prosperity. When we compare our selves with the Muslims living in India we get convinced that Pakistan is after all Pakistan.

A land of opportunities. Opportunities for both the upright and honest and for those who have been continuously been looting and plundering its wealth. Look at the people of Karachi. How prosperous they are. At the time of partition, if they would have opted for living in India they would have been living a life of sub humans.

Independence is priceless.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

And does somebody know if this incident mentioned in the article is true? Does anyone have more information?

"During the 2005 earthquake, male students of the Frontier Medical College were stopped by religious fanatics - their elders - from saving girls from the rubble of their school building. The girls were allowed to die rather than be "polluted" by the male touch."

 

[salman nedian]

No, leave them in India..its obvious most of them love India and love their fellow Hindu countrymen. Besides we dont want Pakistan to be overcrowded like India...our population is already 172 million that's more than enough.

I say send traitors like Altaf Hussein back to hindustan.

Omar!
I think Jihad has a very valid point. Those Muslims who have relatives in Pakistan and want to live in Pakistan should be given nationality. They have to face many problems to meet their Pakistani relatives. Remember ‘Samjhota Express’ incidence do you think we should send our people there and put their lives in danger?

Those Indian Muslims who want to live in Pakistan must be accepted by us provided that they should mention their relatives address who live in Pakistan so that the gap between our people can be eliminated.

Pakistan is for Indian Muslims as well and as far as Altaf Hussain is concerned I think he has changed his path and it’s good to see that a rebel is talking about the betterment of Pakistan.

 

[Kharian_Beast]

I do agree that every Pakistani is proud of their nation. Rightfully so.

However, I do disagree to above & all the comments that indicate that India is Hindu. Does anyone of you actually know what the word SECULAR means? Have you ever lived in a secular world? And do you know how beautiful it is, to be able to live in a multireligious environment?
I bet you don't. Your country's Islamization runs so deep in your blood, nobody can convince you. Nobody is denying Gujrat Riots or Babari masjid. Unfortunate incidents have happended. But our country has got over it. The religious integrity is still not affected.

What does India know about secularism? Your society and government are on par with Canada, Netherlands and Germany now? Give us a frieking break for crying out loud... the whole world can see the red dot on India's forehead from outer space, don't try to convince us with lame emotional nationalistic posts. Multireligious environment LOL...there are seperate quarters in each city for the main groups, I have heard on many instances that after a Muslim visits a Hindu household, they spend days cleaning and purifying the house because they deem other religions unclean and evil. Multicultural my left * Indian society is borderline stone age.

 

[vkurian]

I've met my fair share of Indian Muslims in the US.

Most of them dont like that there is a Pakistan, some say that was a division between Muslims of North west British empire (who were majority in their area) and the Muslims of Hindustan (who were a minority in their area). I've also noticed that a few Muslims who left India for Pakistan during partition dont like being separated from Muslims of Hindustan, but they are a very small minority. Other Indian Muslims dont like Pakistan because they say they are Indians first, Muslims second...they say that Pakistan is an enemy and Pakistan cant take Kashmir from Hindustan, they identify themselves with Hindus, they marry Hindus, go to Hindu temples, take part in Hindu rituals. They are basically like the majority of Hindustanis and most Indian Muslims are like this.

Now for Pakistan it was a must or else we would see the same riots of Gujrat 2002 happening all over the subcontinent. Muslims and Hindus didn't get along before partition. Jinnah saw discrimination against Muslims in the Indian congress. Then with the help of Allama Iqbal's vision, Jinnah began realizing that Pakistan was a must to keep Muslim majority North west British India to be kept Muslim majority. We also saw Indian governement planning to grant land to a Hindu shrine this past summer in Indian Occupied Kashmir, if Kashmiris hadn't protested for months and made noise today Hindus from Hindustan would be settled in those areas in Muslim majority Kashmir.

Muslims are a minority in Hindustan, they make only 14% of the population...if Pakistan was part of India today we Pakistanis would be minorities in our own land. Either way Hindus wont be minority, so it works out for them that they get extra land and still stay the majority in the nation.

What guarentee is that another Gujrat 2002 or Babri Masjid 1992 incidents wont reoccur in India? What guarentee is that the Indian government wont grant land to a Hindu shrine and bring Hindu settlers in Muslim majority regions?

India says its doing great these days, thats good for them, I dont wish bad for any nation but if its doing great and Pakistan is doing so bad then why do we always hear that Indians want Pakistan to join their country and not Pakistanis wanting to join the "growing" India? Why is it that even today we see protests in Indian Occupied Kashmir against being part of India and not any protests in Pakistan's Azad Kashmir against being part of Pakistan. If India was the next big thing, wouldn't Kashmiris all love to be part of India like how they love to live in UK? Wouldn't we see protests in Pakistan's Azad Kashmir against being part of Pakistan and they would rather be part of India?

Friend who told you Indians wants Pakistan to join India.....this is news to me. I don’t think it is the case at the most we want a friendly Pakistan no one in India wants an inch of Pakistan. We accept and recognize you as a independent and sovereign country. Similarly we would not like to give an inch of our territory Kashmir or any where else.

Is it wrong to be an Indian and a Muslim? I felt you seem to suggest to say so …if so can you explain the thought process behind .

 

[vkurian]

Good efforts by the author to convince us about "Flawed Idea".

We salute the vision of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who created a country which brought about prosperity. When we compare our selves with the Muslims living in India we get convinced that Pakistan is after all Pakistan.

A land of opportunities. Opportunities for both the upright and honest and for those who have been continuously been looting and plundering its wealth. Look at the people of Karachi. How prosperous they are. At the time of partition, if they would have opted for living in India they would have been living a life of sub humans.

Independence is priceless.

I get a feeling you are suggesting a good Muslim should be anti India or Indians.....is what you are trying to say.

Their are many poor people in India they can be Muslims as well as Hindus so the religion is not a factor for economic development.

You seem to suggest Karachi is full of affluent people ...very good go ahead and replicate the model in entire Pakistan.

 

[s90]

Flawed idea?hey i guess there are more separatist movements in India than Pakistan

 

[third eye]

Flawed idea?hey i guess there are more separatist movements in India than Pakistan

So what ? India has more No of ppl than Pak...Wherever there are humans , there will be ideas.. ( and 'movements").

Cannot comment on how flawed..but the "ORIGINAL" Pak was flawed. The fact that BD exists is testimony to this.

Whats left of the " Original" Pak is in turmoil with parts of it now has seperate methods of governance some areas governed by GOP & others not by GOP.

How much of all this was intended back in ' 47 ?

 

[Mirage2000]

So what ? India has more No of ppl than Pak...Wherever there are humans , there will be ideas.. ( and 'movements").

Yeh IDEAS sepratists hate India and their IDEA is to have a seprate homeland for themselves.To get themselves free from India.

Cannot comment on how flawed..but the "ORIGINAL" Pak was flawed. The fact that BD exists is testimony to this.

Well infact the BD became independent because of indian support for insurgency and 1971 war and not because the ideology was wrong.

Whats left of the " Original" Pak is in turmoil with parts of it now has seperate methods of governance some areas governed by GOP & others not by GOP.

And what do you think of your country?...................
It is a fact that INDIA WAS NOT A SINGLE NATION and thier were many seprate countries in this region ruled by kings,it was only unified by british in process of expanding their empire,after liberation you hindus wanting a AKHUND Bharat are shouting everywhere that Pakistan is a failed state ,yes there are hard times on us but its not to that extent that you are propagating.
And for the person starting this thread:please research before commenting on the writer i.e(he is muslim).

 

[Captain03]

so we should care for what an indian writer thinks?
{MOD EDIT: No obscenities please} lol

 

[nitesh]

Things are not rosy guys:
Simon Tisdall: How the west could 'lose' Pakistan | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

According to a worldwide Gallup poll of young Muslims aged 15 to 29, Pakistanis were by far the most pessimistic, she said. "When asked if they thought they were thriving, struggling or suffering, 51% in Pakistan said they were struggling and 35% said they were suffering." This was a higher level of discontent than that registered in Indonesia or in poor African countries such as Niger and Mali – and higher even than in Palestine.