The operant word here is “imagine”. The word carries us away to a world which does not exist, is a fantasy, and is unreal. Cut to the real world closer home – to India. 57 years later, are we still living in the aftermath of the partition? The answer is a resounding “yes”.
The partition brings to mind horrifying pictures of thousands of people being herded like cattle across borders. Yesterday’s happy family man was suddenly identified as a “refugee”.
A refugee may be defined as “any uprooted homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection of his former government.” Reflect on that. Thousands of Indians and Pakistanis who are today termed “refugees”, migrated to either country, probably never imagining that they would be regarded as outsiders in a country they thought was their own. They did know what they would have to face in the days to come. They did not know that this would never be home.
Kashmir – its conflict – the most glaring proof of the horrors of the partition. In the last decade, India-Pakistan tensions have spiralled. How many hundreds leave Kashmir every day for fear of being killed? How many ever find a home again? They have been reduced to the existence of an unknown citizen in an unknown land. However, the expulsion of these Kashmiris from their homeland has been ignored at the state, national and international level. Where do these people turn for help?
Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan was also the result of the partition. Even today, thousands reside on the Indo-Bangladesh border, not knowing which side to call “home”. At least 63% are eligible Indian voters but are not allowed to call India their home. They are sandwiched in a no-man’s land between the two nations with none willing to take on their responsibility. They are struggling for survival amid frequent attacks by border security guards and insurgents. Their women are molested, their cattle and food are snatched away but they have no help at hand. So pitiable is the state, that people have often died because they have fallen sick after sunset and the hospital has been located on the other side of the border, the gates of which close at 6 p.m. Where do these people turn for help?
Help; to these refugees it seems like a cry in the wilderness because no one seems to hear them. Have the governments become so depraved that they no longer even possess an iota of humanity in them to understand the plight of these helpless people? Where do these people turn for help?
Imagine if you will a perfect understanding between the nations concerned. I speak as a citizen of India. I am sure there are various other nations in the same predicament. Imagine everyone proudly possessing a national identity. Imagine people not being scared to say “home”. Imagine a life without the fear of every new day.
But like I said, the word is “imagine”.
« return.