Road to Independence -part I

FOCUS ARCHIVE:

August 1947 marked last century's biggest planned trans migration of humankind on planet earth. Millions fled for their lives and in hope of a better future in the country of their religion. Ethnic flames raged across the subcontinent and engulfed the minority of muslims heading for newly formed Pakistan.Hundreds of thousands died in these clashes yet this didnot stop the migration or its purpose.

Although millions migrated to and from Pakistan, there were many more, in minority though, who decided not to flee their homeland, their ancestoral grounds, their janam bhoomi. What were the reasons behind this are still unclear, some argue that had the migration been completely carried out, there would have been no more problems for muslims in India and Pakistan would have been stronger in face of it. Some even say that economic lures of left away belongings and abandoned property was just too much for some. Indeed, those who decided to stay would later become Sheikhs and Seiths of India.

Causes and Consequences

Some had no resources to take on this enormous journey, especially the muslims of Central Provinces and Hyderbad, some feared the safety of their loved ones, as there were trains and trains of immigrants being slaughtered along their journey. One such train when arrived in Karachi on August 17th 1947 was recieved by the father of nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah himself, but there was not much to be recieved except for the dead bodies of thousands of immigrants. Jinnah called on the British to ensure protection of immigrants and thus police constables were appointed on these trains. Although this didnt help much but as August passed, so did the tide of barbaric killings.

For some it came too late, for others, they were just lucky to be alive, and thus started the enormous project of Rehabilitation of immigrants that didnt complete for next 20 years. False claims were mounting the offices of Land Authority, anyone who could get away with a peice of land was lucky, formally, this marked the beginning of Corruption in the Pakistani Bureaucracy. Acres of Land were given to the powerful and the decietful. People who commanded respect all thier lives back in India were rejected, thus corruption found its way into our society ever since its birth half a century ago.

It was this mass mismanagment at the Early Crisis stage that resulted in shaping the nation into what it is today....contd to part II

Filed on August 13th 2001.