Mohammad Ali Jinnah most responsible for Partition, says Pak-Swede academic

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, May 27

Ishtiaq Ahmed, Professor Emeritus, Stockholm University, and author of a book titled “The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed” while speaking in Chandigarh said, “There is nobody more responsible for Partition than Mohammad Ali Jinnah. There are no two ways about it.”

Going into the bottom of the tragedy, he said it all began in 1936. “Until the Muslim League captured Punjab, there was no chance of making of Pakistan.”

In 1936, the then president of the Indian National Congress Jawaharlal Nehru in Lucknow said an independent India would finish feudalism. “Rights of farmers will be protected. We will make socialist India, which will be inspired by the Soviet Union,” he said quoting Nehru.

Following this statement, alarm bells rang among the Britons and the Muslims. “In north-western India, big landlords were mainly Muslims. Leadership of the Unionist Party convinced the landlords that with their support, the Congress could be stopped in its track. “Thus, Punjab Unionist won elections.”

From 1937, Jinnah announced Muslim opposition to the Congress. “This was the beginning of a hate campaign, where demonising and dehumanising the Hindus became a new normal,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed junked the theories accusing the Congress of Partition and pointed out that it continuously resisted the move and agreed to it only in March 1947. “Thus, separate electorate system led to Partition,” he said.

Ahmed said 80 per cent fatalities and 75 per cent displacement were recorded in Punjab during Partition. “More than one million people died and 14 to 15 million people got displaced. Total population of Punjab, including princely states was 34 million,” he said, adding that weapons used by Punjabis during the World War-I were widely used in 1947.

He said violence started after July 10, 1946, press conference of Nehru where he said the Congress would enter the Constituent Assembly. The Congress’ ideology was secular and Jinnah claimed that the Constitution was yet to be framed.

He questioned the minorities’ interests and gave a call for direct action on August 16, 1946, which triggered riots in Calcutta.

He said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha added fuel to the fire by stating that the Muslims should be thrown out. Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru ensured that the Muslims who wanted to stay in India should be allowed to live here.