Sixty years of partition
Let there be peace and friendship
The partition of the subcontinent into two independent states-- India and Pakistan-- in August 1947 was undoubtedly the most momentous event in the political history of the region as a whole.
It also marked the end of the British rule of nearly 200 years, and shaped the political destiny of people, albeit in differing contexts. While India steadfastly adhered to democracy in a complex and vast social setting, Pakistan, for most part of its existence, reeled under military rule, with patches of democratic dispensation, more as an exception than rule, during the last 60 years. The two countries have also had adversarial relations almost since 1947, that at times degenerated into full-blown hostilities.
India has been immensely benefited by democracy which kept it on a stable economic course too, and it is now emerging as an economic superpower. Indians passed the critical test that democracy was subjected to at least on one occasion when emergency was declared by Mrs. Gandhi in June 1975. They overwhelmingly rejected the idea and put their country back to democratic ways. The fight for supremacy in the political arena has always been confined to the politicians, unlike in Pakistan where intervention and seizing of state power by the military badly weakened whatever foundation of democracy the country had started with. Pakistan is still struggling to find an answer to the perennial question: who should govern it and how.
The rise of an extremely virulent form of religious extremism is a big challenge that Pakistan is facing today. As for India, it also has reason to be worried about the communal forces asserting themselves in society, despite secularism being an avowed state policy.
The good news today, however, is that both New Delhi and Islamabad have felt the need for doing away with hostility which did not serve the two countries well in the past. They are now nuclear-capable which adds an altogether new dimension to their bilateral ties and balance of power in the region.
We hope Pakistan will succeed in setting aside the forces of intolerance and establish a democratic order for the collective good of its people. India, despite the tremendous success it has achieved over the last one decade or so, still has the issue of wide rich-poor gap to deal with. Once durable peace exists between the two countries, they will find it a lot easier to concentrate on issues pertaining to people's welfare. We hope the day is not far away.
We wish both countries a happy and prosperous tomorrow.
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