ishtiaq ahmed
Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed is a Professor Emeritus of Stockholm University, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1947, but is settled in Sweden. He is a highly respected scholar, who often speaks and writes on issues relating to the Indian subcontinent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtiaq_Ahmed_(political_scientist)
Recently an online video discussion was held, anchored by Dr Hassan Zafar of Lahore, featuring Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed and me. In that video discussion I said that Partition in 1947 was a British swindle on the basis of the bogus 2 nation theory, and India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are really one country, which must reunite under a secular government.
Now in a recent vlog on his own youtube channel, Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed has said that he respectfully disagrees with me.
https://youtu.be/NG9u8Ht2mA0?si=tvoEYvCQt9sB2Ldb
Dr Ishtiaq says that it will be difficult to convince Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to give up their separate identities, and therefore we must seek a middle way. He suggests that we should proceed in 2 stages. In the first stage, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh shall retain their identities, but will co-operate and be friendly with each other, and jointly seek to tackle the common socio-economic problems of poverty, hunger, unemployment, lack of healthcare, etc. He has in mind the SAARC organization and the European Union.
Later, in the second stage, if the people of the 3 countries wish, they can reunite as one country.
To my mind there is a fundamental fallacy in Dr Ishtiaq’s thinking, and that is this : the very purpose of the British for creating Pakistan as an Islamic state was that Hindus and Muslims should be kept fighting each other. In other words, India and Pakistan must be kept hostile to each other. If India and Pakistan become friendly with each other and start co-operating then the very purpose of Partition and creating Pakistan as an Islamic State will disappear, and the 3 entities will reunite, thus destroying the very purpose of Partition. This will be very harmful to the developed countries, as explained below, and they will oppose it tooth and nail.
https://www.nation.com.pk/02-Mar-2013/the-truth-about-pakistan
In the video discussion anchored by Dr Hassan Zafar ( whose recording I have not yet received ) I mentioned that there is a very strong, but totally secret, rule among the developed countries ( which they will never openly talk about ) that underdeveloped countries must never be allowed to become developed countries. That is because if they do become developed, then with their cheap labour the underdeveloped countries will undersell the goods produced by the developed countries, resulting in the industries of the latter to close down ( as they will not be able to face the competition from the former ), throwing millions out of employment.
I explained that cost of labour is a big chunk of the total cost of production, and if the cost of labour is less, then the cost of production is less, and then one can sell one’s goods at a cheaper price and undersell his business rival. Underdeveloped countries have cheap labour, whereas developed countries have expensive labour. Countries with cheap labour have a distinct advantage over countries with expensive labour ( provided the former set up a massive industrial base ), since they can sell their goods at a much cheaper price. Who then will buy goods of the developed countries ? Their industries will have to close down, being unable to face the competition from underdeveloped countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmoDYaAIbNI&t=955s&pp=ygULa2F0anUgbW9lZWQ%3D
So the developed countries will oppose tooth and nail countries in the Indian subcontinent becoming friendly, reuniting, and becoming a modern industrial giant, like China, for then the industries of the former will have to close down, being unable to face the competition from underdeveloped countries which have cheap labour, and can therefore sell the same high quality goods but at half or even one third the price of goods of the developed countries. And how do they do prevent underdeveloped countries, like those in the Indian subcontinent, from becoming developed ones ? They do it by making Indians ( in which term I include Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, for we are really one country, sharing a common culture, and were one since Mughal times ) fight each other ( using their local agents, such as most Indian political leaders ) on the basis of religion, caste, language or race.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7DGP9thdw&t=7s&pp=ygUWa2F0anUgZm91cnRoIGRpbWVuc2lvbg%3D%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYA95RDX6s&pp=ygURa2F0anUga2FwaWwgc2liYWzSBwkJfgkBhyohjO8%3D
https://thephilox.com/we-are-one-country-by-justice-katju
The very purpose of Partition was that united India should not be allowed to become a modern industrial giant ( of which it has all the potential, with its huge pool of scientists, engineers, etc ). One China has become a headache for the West. Now if another industrial giant emerges, whatever is left of Western industries will collapse, being unable to face the competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_5Cv5BAHxE&pp=ygULa2F0anUgbW9lZWQ%3D
Dr Ishtiaq says that it will be difficult to convince Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to give up their separate identity, and reunite. I never said it will be easy. But, 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 of Indian reunification is an idea whose time has come.
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-indian-reunification-is-an-idea-whose-time-has-come
https://justicekatju.blogspot.com/2016/11/indian-reunification-association-there.html
https://www.hastakshepnews.com/2024/12/india-pakistan-and-bangladesh-one.html
We have formed an organization called the Indian Reunification Association ( IRA ), of which I am the Patron, Indervansh Chaddha of Jalandhar is the Chairman, and Irfan Pullani of Kerala is the Gen Secy
https://indicanews.com/indo-pak-reunification
https://writerscafeteria.com/the-indian-reunification-association-by-justice-katju
https://www.soolegal.com/roar/the-indian-reunification-association
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzAN9qbA7lo1bQkA-36JqPw
https://newsaurchai.com/the-reunification-of-india-pakistan-and-bangladesh
Some videos regarding IRA are given below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=879AmEjdTxE&t=426s&pp=ygUaa2F0anUgaW5kaWFuIHJldW5pZmljYXRpb24%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxDP1qftTE&pp=ygUaa2F0anUgaW5kaWFuIHJldW5pZmljYXRpb24%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD9joS_wAPw&pp=ygUaa2F0anUgaW5kaWFuIHJldW5pZmljYXRpb24%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlJPkN9lxEk&t=1385s&pp=ygUaa2F0anUgaW5kaWFuIHJldW5pZmljYXRpb24%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD9joS_wAPw&t=10s&pp=ygUaa2F0anUgaW5kaWFuIHJldW5pZmljYXRpb24%3D
This organization has chapters in many states in India. Pakistanis seem reluctant to join us, not because they are averse to the idea, but because section 123A of the Pakistan Penal Code makes speaking/writing against Partition a criminal offence punishable by upto 10 years imprisonment. Some Bangladeshis had initially joined us, but they later withdrew, informing us that intelligence agencies are harrassing them.
However, since we are confident that our idea ( that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are really one country, only artificially and temporarily divided ) is based on truth, we are confident that it will spread among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis too. Truth has great power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0tD1lpjCfo
When Copernicus said in 1543 that the earth goes around the sun ( the heliocentric theory ) instead of vice versa ( the geocentric theory ) few people believed him, because it was against the Bible. In fact it was dangerous to say so, because saying anything against the Bible was at that time a capital offence, for which one could be burnt at the stake by the Inquisition ( as almost happened to Galileo, who only survived by recanting ). But since Copernicus’ idea was based on truth, it gradually spread, and today everyone accepts it. Similarly, we are confident that despite section 123A Pakistan Penal Code, the idea that we must reunite, will spread in Pakistan.
So our idea that India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are really one country and must therefore reunite, is bound to spread throughout the Indian subcontinent, as it is based on truth.
Some people say that after the BJP came to power in 2014 Indian reunification is impossible. My reply is in the article below
Many people have asked me what practical steps we should take for Indian reunification ? My reply is : at present we should only spread the idea that we are one country and must reunite. We should not go any further. Later, when the idea is widespread ( as it is bound to become since it is based on truth ), people of our subcontinent will use their creativity and find out ways and means for peaceful reunification..
