Independence Day: Why Partition was a good thing for India

The article comes out on the 65^th anniversary of the partition.  It is expresses the opinion of Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiya.  It is his opinion that the partition of India and Pakistan was not only necessary but was desired and that if it had not taken place that a bloody more gruesome civil war would have taken place.  He states, “Had the British left undivided India in 1947, the Muslim League would have continued its struggle for separate nationhood. “

The formation of Pakistan created an entirely new nation.  It was created because it consisted mostly Muslims; however, the people that lived in the combining areas are diverse.  Even though it was essentially Muslim, the beginning years were intense with internal conflicts over religion, language, and other regional issues.  The people of the new nation would need to find their way to forming a government, policies, laws, and other necessary socially functioning tools.

Pakistan is a hard place to be a Christian.  Literacy for Christians is less than 10%.  The Universities require Koran memorization for entrance so Christians are unable to hold jobs that require an education.  Young daughters of Christians are the target of violence.  It is estimated that around 3.000 Christian girls between the ages of 10-12 are kidnapped every year.  Young kidnapped girls that refuse to convert and marry are beaten, physically tortured, and either killed or simply raped and left to die naked in the wilderness.  Christians do not have access to the legal system and by law a Christian’s testimony carries only half credibility in court.  Christians are accused of blasphemy, which carries the automatic death sentence.

So the final thought is….  Was it a good thing to partition India for the creation of Pakistan?  Was it a way to avoid a civil war that would have been bloodier than the consequences we are still seeing today?