A great change has come about in the mindsets of a large number of Pakistanis. Let me explain.
I am a well wisher of Pakistanis, and want them to have decent and prosperous lives. I have often said that 95% Pakistanis are good people, just as 95% Indians are good people.
At the same time, I have consistently and repeatedly said that I regard Pakistan as a fake, artificial country, created by a British swindle called Partition in 1947 on the basis of the bogus two nation theory. I regard Pakistan as part of India, with which it will inevitably reunite one day under a secular government.
Earlier when I used to say this, almost every Pakistani would respond by hurling the choicest abuses, invectives, vituperations, fulmination, and insults on me.
Today that is no longer so. I now see a sea change among a large number of Pakistanis, who do not feel offended. I talk with a lot of Pakistanis on whatsapp, and many now agree with me. How has this metamorphosis come about ?
I attribute it to three reasons.
(1) Truth has great power ( satya mein badi shakti hoti hai ). As Victor Hugo said ” There is one thing more powerful than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come ”. The idea that India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) are really one nation and are bound to reunite one day un der a secular government, is an idea whose time has come.
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-indian-reunification-is-an-idea-whose-time-has-come
https://indicanews.com/indo-pak-reunification
When I first mooted the idea of reunification, many people scoffed at me, and said I was day dreaming. But the same was said of Mazzini when he put forward the idea of Italian unification ( Risorgimento ) something which was later achieved by Garibaldi and Cavour in 1861. German unification was achieved under Bismarck in 1871.
Some people object that much water has flown after 1947, and hence reunification of India now is not feasible. But German reunification was achieved in 1990 after a separation of 45 years. Vietnam was reunited in 1975 after 30 years. China has still not given up its claim over Taiwan.
Others object that there is too much religious fanaticism, and so we cannot unite. But as I have pointed out in my article “The Truth about Pakistan”, there was no communal fanaticism or bigotry before 1857. It was only after 1857 that the seeds of communalism were artificially injected into our body politic by the British policy of divide and rule, which led to Partition. So communalism is an artificially-created phenomenon, and can easily be suppressed by a strong secular government.
Of course, reunification will not be achieved easily or immediately. It will take time, maybe 10-20 years. Those who divided us will not allow us to reunite easily, for they do not want another China (one China has created enough headaches for them). But reunite we must if we wish to escape from poverty, hunger, etc.
The main problems of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the same — massive poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of healthcare and good education, etc. If we reunite, we can pool in our resources and overcome these problems in 15-20 years. We can save much of the billions of dollars we spend annually on purchasing arms abroad, and use it for our people’s welfare.
We were befooled by the British into thinking we are enemies, but how much longer must we remain befooled? How much longer must blood flow?
After reunification, which in my opinion is bound to happen since we are really one nation, we must rapidly industrialise on a gigantic scale. That alone can solve our country’s huge socio-economic problems, and give our people decent lives.
When I expressed the above ideas many years ago, many people ( both in India and Pakistan ) ridiculed me and sneered and jeered at me, saying that I was the only one in the world holding such views. I replied that they should examine whether my ideas are correct or not, and not go by the fact that no one till now has ever expressed them. It often happens that one man alone is correct, and the rest of the world is wrong.
I gave the example of Copernicus who in 1543 said that it is the earth which goes around the sun ( the heliocentric theory ) and not the sun which goes around the earth ( the geocentric theory of the Bible and the ancient Greek thinker Ptolemy ) which was believed by the whole world at that time. Today everyone agrees with Copernicus.
If there were no new ideas in the world there would be no progress. So the charge against me that I express novel ideas is captious and specious
(2) Abraham Lincoln said ” You can fool some people all the time, and all people for some time, but you cannot fool all people all the time ”.
The people of our subcontinent were befooled by the British sponsored two nation theory championed by their agent Jinnah, and recently reiterated by the Pakistani army chief Gen Asim Munir, whom I have characterized as a ‘running dog’ ( a Chinese expression for a servile lackey )
But they cannot be befooled forever
(3) Most people come out of their illusions only when they get the ‘danda’ ( stick ), as explained below :
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-the-only-remedy-to-wake-up-backward-people
Historical experience shows that wisdom dawns on most people only when they receive a ‘danda’ ( stick ) on their backsides.
Pakistanis have now received it. That danda is the terrible socio-economic conditions now prevailing in Pakistan, with massive unemployment, skyrocketing prices of food and other essential commodities, highly inflated electricity bills, water shortage, etc. Pakistanis have now realised that they can’t eat Istam, they must eat food. Without this realization and without receiving the economic danda, truth would never have dawned on Pakistanis.
A great change has now come about in Pakistan. Pakistanis, who were earlier hostile to me, and pooh poohed and ridiculed my idea of Indian reunification, now realise I am their well wisher, and stand for the truth. I want them to have good lives, but they will never have them until and unless we undo the fraudulent Partition, and reunite under a secular government led by modern minded leaders determined to rapidly industrialize the country and raise the standard of living of the people, and give them decent lives.
We have been befooled for over 77 years since 1947. For how much longer must we remain befooled ? It is high time now to reunite.
Some people ask what will be the practical steps for Indian reunification ? My answer is : presently we have only to spread the idea. Later, when it is widespread ( as it is bound to be, since it is based on truth ), people will use their creativity and find out ways and means of peaceful reunification
