Whenever some Pakistani expatriate Pakistanis or types of "liberal" meeting after a few libations to lubricate the ideas and speech, the conversation often turns on whether we are in Pakistan would have been better if it does no division India.
Now I am not a serious student of the history of partition and am aware of the basic facts. Does the Muslim League won most Muslim seats in the elections held in 1946 and, as such, also won the right to represent the Muslims of India. Jinnah, as the leader of the Muslims, decided to opt for Pakistan when the All India Congress led by Nehru and Patel rejected the plan of the mission of the Cabinet. And that Pakistan came into force which was not exactly what I expected Jinnah.
Some historians have said that Jinnah returned home, he received a "moth-eaten" Pakistan. If this is true is not important since Jinnah accepted everything you have and which laid the foundations of one, then two Muslim-majority countries in the Indian subcontinent, somewhat below the Lahore Resolution of 1940 is also an undeniable fact that in Pakistan actually would have done much better for ourselves.
For me, the important thing is that I was born in a country called Pakistan and then had opportunities available to me I never dreamed that I was an Indian Muslim. I know it's not good to generalize on the basis of some interactions with Indian Muslims, but I must admit that most of them I met in the United States are very jealous of us Pakistani Muslims.
As I attended the convocation of the Medical University King Edward in its 150th anniversary as a medical institution, I sat in the famous' Library Hall "and looked around the walls with pictures of all the former directors who is not a Muslim ran after the partition of India. And if I looked at the walls of the hall where all the medalists are listed in recent years, would have struggled to find a Muslim name before 1947.
Essentially, at least for the Muslims of British India, which ended in Pakistan and now Pakistan and Bangladesh, things could have been much worse. If you still living in a united India where Muslims, at best, were often victims of discrimination of minorities, is unlikely to have made any serious progress as members of a Muslim minority.
Now we all know that in many countries in Europe and Israel, Muslim populations are increasing at a faster rate compared to non-Muslims and, as such, in time become significant minorities in Israel and perhaps even a majority if Palestinian territories are not separate from the rest of Israel. But in India, it is very unlikely that Muslims could or could even become a significant or influential minority.
All this is interesting topics of conversation, but when I saw the pictures of the latest attempt to break the blockade of Gaza, I kept thinking that Muslims in India could have been in a similar situation if the partition had not occurred. Palestinians in the territories "occupied" living in a bad way. In 1949, the UN has divided the so-called "Mandate for Palestine" between Jews and Palestinians. Palestinians supported by their supporters "Arabs" refused to accept the division of Palestine while the Jews accepted and declared an independent state of Israel in the territory that has been assigned by the United Nations.
And for all fulminant type anti-Israel, if the Palestinians had accepted Palestine as an exchange of a UN mandate, which would be in control of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and of course all of East Jerusalem, including the Muslim holy places and Jews.
Unfortunately for the Palestinians, they had no one like Jinnah taking them - someone who had the vision and the courage to accept the partition of Palestine. Instead of accepting the partition, Palestinians and Arabs attacked the newly formed Jewish state. Who helped the new state is immaterial again, but the simple fact is that the Arabs, despite the overwhelming numerical superiority, have not won and Israel survived.
But again this is an important part of history that until 1967, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip were in the hands of Muslims, however, Jordanians and Egyptians who controlled these territories do not allow Palestinians to form a state. And in 1967, the united strength of the Arab armies attacked Israel again and essentially lost everything "Palestine".
If the Palestinians had accepted the partition in 1949, they would have lived in an independent country today. "Moth eaten" or not, but remains an independent country. Unfortunately, the Palestinians are never going to get anything near the Palestinian UN gave in 1949. "facts on the ground" have changed and what the Israelis will never give up control of Jerusalem. And like it or not, the Muslim holy places in Jerusalem will remain under Israeli control for the foreseeable future.
Of course it is impossible to go back in time and rewrite history. What would have happened if the Indian Congress had accepted the plan of the mission of the Council of Ministers, at best, remain a matter of conjecture. Considering the fact that Jinnah was ill and died in 1948, it is likely that the Muslims of India have ended in considerable disarray after the death of Jinnah and could not seize the opportunities available to them.
Anyway, every time I see the situation of the Palestinians, but I can not stop thanking Mr. Jinnah.
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