A country of immigrant culture

By

Sattar Rind

If anyone thinks that politics is the science of getting political power to service the country and its people, then it may be appropriate to any nation or country in the world, apart that is from Pakistan.

Pakistan has a unique history. This is country rather that its first Prime Minister, first Governor General, first Chief or Army staff, first Defence Minister, first President and many other Bureaucrats were mostly immigrants, migrating from India to the newly created country of Pakistan.

Major General Iskander Mirza, the first Defence Secretary who later went on to become President, being the first person to imposed Martial law in 1958, was great grandson of the traitor Mir Jafar. Jafar is widely considered to be at the start of British imperialism in India and was a key figure in the ultimate British domination of vast areas of the subcontinent. In the Battle of Plassey Mir Jaffar sided with the British.

Such immigrant bureaucrats and government executives had however claimed that this country come into existence through their own struggled efforts. But what we observed was a country left by the British Raj. Of the major parties considered to have played a part in gaining freedom from the Raj, the Indian National Congress Party and Pakistan Muslim League were at the forefront. The nation lost many lives, suffering unbearable torture fighting for the freedom of a country.

In the case of Pakistan no freedom fighters were imprisoned fro any period of time, the British Government not extending any kind of pressure on the ‘champions’ of freedom either.

The Indian Congress Party however, Gandhi in particular, mobilised the public against British Rule to some extent. It was essentially a non-violent movement to its core.

Other leaders who had preferred to go against the non-violent movement of Gandhi created a realisation for the British that their ruling days in India would not be long. These were Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose. But to be honest though, it was the second World War that became a deciding factor for the British to free India. M.A Jinnah termed it as thus: “The war which nobody welcomed proved to be a blessing in disguise.”

If the war had not taken place then the powerful British would not have left India just for the reason that Gandhi alone was by protest calling to ‘Quit India’ or that his peaceful hunger strikes had caused this.

Controlling India after the second World War was not easy. The British had also realised that they were not as powerful, America having replaced such status, emerging as the new world power, in addition to that of USSR. Despite the fact that the British, along with its allies, won the second World War, as a result became too weak to continue its mighty power. It was therefore time for the British to leave India.

In fact, the last Viceroy of the British Raj, Lord Mountbatten, had already accepted the Viceroyship on the condition that he would hand over India to the Indians, hence he announced as such in misty manner on June 3 1947 that independence day will be August 15 of that year. It was later confirmed as a mistake, the required time not being given either for the bordering line of the two states. The report in question even comes two days after both countries were created.

As a result the Punjabi Muslims and Sikhs killed each other, the same happening in Bengal with both Muslims and Bengali Hindus killing one other, the numbers estimated to be nearly a million, UNHCR predicting also that 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced. It was the largest mass migration in human history.

The last Viceroy of India failed to control such huge losses of innocent lives.

The creation of Pakistan in 1947 was meant to be a country of Muslims free from Hindu dominance and was a great opportunity for Muslims of Pakistan to prosper and advance in every field of development; to become one of the leading countries in the world.

Instead however the country hung on to a culture of treachery, fraud, and corruption that only promoted opportunism and illegality. Following the first Governor General and founder of Pakistan’s death after one year, Pakistan is constantly observed as a country misrepresented by politicians, army, establishment and from the thirty mullahs who became their partner, further distorting it.

Now it seems to be the country of corruption, looting and plundering the powerful circles of Pakistan. Progress or any maturity and development has now become a dream that will never come true.

Sattar Rind

Sattar Rind lives in Sindh, Pakistan. and is an Author with four books to his credit. three poetry and one on politics. As a Columnist he has written for a number of newspapers and magazines since 1991. Sattar can be contacted at the following email address: [email protected]