One thing about reading and researching history is that it greatly impacts our world today. I, for one, abstain from stating what would have happened if that or this happened or that did not happen. History has proven to be a very unpredictable thing. There is one thing that I would like to interject here and that is that there is a narrative in the India is better off today. Yes, in some regards it is. There is no argument there, however, I would like to point out to the Indian members work done by Gytri Spivak, please read that as well.
Reading history without having a grounding in philosophy makes one prone to commit the errors that the author of this article is making. For instance, the author states that partition would galvanise the Hindu majority and therefore he suggests that had there been no partition there would have been a lessening of the ethnic problems. That is highly improbable to predict for instance, the Hindu-Sikh riots that occurred in 1984 and the events leading up to it show that inter-communal relations are unpredictable.
Secondly, the probability of the argument that had Punjab and Bengal not be partitioned the Muslims would have had a huge majority there which would have kept a check on Hindus oppressing Muslims in minority areas is also incorrect. In any case it would have increased the bloodshed for the Indian mind (pre-partition meaning all South Asians) understood and still continues to understand the communal problem in a very different angle. Historically, assimilation at least on the whole sale has not been possible. Either the minority group becaomes second class citizens or they are divided up by law. Take for instance the US, there are proper neighbourhoods of this or that community, yes, on the whole the US society has a very high integration but everyone knows that the fissures of ethnic tensions exists.
This problem has stayed for both Pakistan and India, stating that India has a relatively better off minority is not correct, the recent riots are a proof of that and this is not where we should be looking for relativity. India and Pakistan are different countries, yes they share a common culture and history but so does most of Europe, the birth place of the nation-state. This historical investigation does not solve our problems today so I find it mostly useless. It is not that why are we here, we are here and we have the burden of existence, why not focus on that?
The morality and a-morality with which we try to judge history is not sound at least in terms of methodology. Our ancestors were not exposed to the same things we were and were a different people in a different time. Plus, there was a widely held perception that Pakistan and India would be like the US and Canada: friendly, cooperative nations. In fact as late as the 60s there were discussions about a regional pact against foreign (at that time Chinese) aggression.
Our problems exist and let's focus on that rather than engage in these debates of origins it reminds me of bastards debating who is more legitimate than the other. As post-colonial nations we're all bastards. Let's try to make a society where our own people feel safe, happy and prosper. I long to see a Pakistan where a Hindu is just as safe, just as successful, just as patriotic as a Muslim in India.
Regards.