Partition's unanswered questions still haunt India, says Mani Shankar Aiyar after Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned whether the unresolved legacy of Partition is reflected in the horrific tragedy that unfolded in Pahalgam. Speaking at a book launch event at the India International Centre in New Delhi, Aiyar said the fundamental question posed to India during Partition still remains unanswered.

"Many people almost prevented Partition, but it happened because there were differences in value systems and assessments of the nature of India's nationhood and its civilisational inheritance between people like Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Jinnah and many other Muslims who did not agree with Mr Jinnah," he said.

"But in today's India, does a Muslim feel that he is accepted? Does a Muslim feel that he is cherished? Does a Muslim feel that he is celebrated? Why should I answer my own questions? Ask any Muslim and you will get the answers," he added.

"But the fact is that the Partition happened and till today we are living with the consequences of that Partition. Is this how we should be living? Is that the unresolved questions of the Partition reflected in the terrible tragedy... in Pahalgam on April 22," Aiyar added.

Reflecting on history, Aiyar recalled that Pakistan's ambition of being the homeland and protector of Muslims in the subcontinent collapsed after the 1971 war, when Bangladesh broke away to assert its Bengali identity over a purely religious one.

"It was the failure to understand that every salvation has more than one dimension to this identity that was responsible for what happened to Pakistan in 1971," he said.

Aiyar further added that the questions India faced then pre-Partition and one that continues to resonate today is what should be done with what were around 100 million Muslims at the time, and nearly 200 million now.

"Do we accept Jinnah's view and say 'no, they are a separate nation living amongst us as saboteurs or potential saboteurs', or do we look at them and say 'they are part and parcel of us'? Do we define ourselves as a composite or do we say 'no, we have only one dimension in our identity and that is the religious dimension of Hinduism'?"

On April 22, terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, south Kashmir, killing 26 people, including a Nepali national. It was the deadliest assault in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack. In the aftermath, the government vowed severe punishment for the perpetrators, while also launching major crackdowns on terrorist networks across Jammu and Kashmir.

(With inputs from agencies)