What If India wasn’t Partitioned?

By Anish Sinha

It’s been a long time since India became autonomous and free from Britishers. This time, the nation has encountered a tornado of occasions, from savagery (mutual uproars and dread assaults) to snapshots of pride (the Mars Orbiter mission).

However, no conversation on autonomous or free India is concluded without tending to segment, the cutting of an enormous piece of past India to make Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pressures, competition and opposition among India and Pakistan started with segment and have proceeded till date.

While the eventual outcomes of the parcel are living history, one thinks about what might have been if India had not been divided by any means. How unique would our lives be in case Pakistan was as yet a piece of India? What might the governmental issues and economy resemble? how ye polity could have molded? how geography could have shaped?

On December 28, Pakistan daily newspaper Sunrise distributed a fairly inquisitive bit of information. “UK PM Attlee trusted Bengal might pick to be a different nation,” read the feature. According to as of late declassified archives, Merciful Clement Attle advised the US envoy in the Unified Realm on June 2, 1947, about the arrangement to parcel India. “A division of Punjab is conceivable,” said Attlee, yet he added there was a “particular chance Bengal may rule against the parcel and against joining either Hindustan or Pakistan”.

The decision of partition was made, for or against the then citizens and their peace. what if another decision has been made instead of partition and could that another decision have better impact on that time chaos of population? here ‘could’ means there is nothing unavoidable when such decisions were curated in past, in the Summer of 1946.

A large section of the population still believes that history is nothing but the plot play of the accidental and unavoidable, but according to some historians, there were no such events in history that were inescapable in nature. There were many reasonable possibilities in every decision taken by authorities in history and so it impacted on partition decision.

in Indian elections held in 1945–6, there was a strike won in the Hindu‐dominated constituencies by the nationalist Indian National Congress (INC), and the Muslim League took control over Muslim‐dominated regions. The aftermath of the election was that several issues were raised about the independence and concept of united India (as highly recommended by the INC), or one divided into Hindu and Muslim areas (as favored by the Muslim League). To solve this ambiguity on 23 March 1946, three representatives of the then prime minister of Britain Attlee sent a three-member Cabinet comprising Lord Pethick‐Lawrence (secretary of state for India), Stafford Cripps (president of Bombay trade), and A. V. Alexander (first lord of admiralty), were dispatched to India to find a best possible solution. Their main agenda was to see how the power can be transferred on the occasion of independence. Cabinet constituted a plan proposing a special arrangement of three‐tier government structure for a unified India, with the least being the commonplace level. The subsequent level would have made three zones comprising of the Muslim‐dominated spaces of the north‐west and the north‐east, and the Hindu‐dominated rest of the subcontinent. At last, the third level bound these constructions together into a free organization. To let go of Muslim feelings of dread against Hindu control, it gave likewise that following fifteen years, every individual zone was allowed to leave the association. Initially acknowledged by the two players, it was viably scuppered by Nehru’s indiscreet comment without further ado subsequently, whereby he denied a portion of the Muslim rights haggled so meticulously, particularly the right of the Muslim‐dominated zones to withdraw following fifteen years. This killed off any lingering generosity with Jinnah, and prompted the overhasty and caustic division among India and Pakistan.

Prime minister Attlee in Simon commission experienced that there was brawny and sturdy soul of patriotism in India enough to countermand Hindu-Muslim difference, prevailing in England too.

The Congress vision of free India, as articulated with energetic energy by Nehru and others, was of a unified India including the English Indian realm, with a solid focal government. what’re more, somewhat frail areas. fidelity to Hinduism or Islam was not to be the premise of citizenship instead it was regarding adherence to an assembled India, though the cabinet Mission plan curated their own archives, there were other references to Hindus and Muslims, suggesting that these strict classes characterized essential personalities and loyalties.

Jinnah’s vision of the Muslim league was getting the region with a Muslim majority which somewhere acts as central to a homeland for Muslims, also denominated as Pakistan. In other words, at this stage Pakistan was sort of unchangeable demand. Observing the documents, anyone can contrast the seldom about recognition of dual party system, the Congress and the Muslim League rivalry political objectives, based on a struggle for political power, not on Hinduism and Islam.

Cabinet Mission did not table the theory of devolution of any authority but after days of ambiguity and indecision with heads of congress and league they formulated two scheme/plan proposals on May 8, plan A and plan B. plan A was the one the mission and the British cabinet gave dominance to.

Plane A visualized a united India, comprising of English India as a free alliance, with a central assembly charged primarily contrasting with defense safeguard, international concerns, basic fundamental rights, and the right of tax collection for financing above reasons. Remaining forces would be entrusted in the areas. The central assembly will be comprised of equal proportions of the population from the Muslim-majority and Hindu majority provinces and the Indian states. Whereas plan B depicted a partitioned India, with the sovereign province of Pakistan involving the greater part Muslim regions of Sindh, northwestern frontier province,  Baluchistan, Scatterd parts of Western Punjab, and Eastern Bengal without Calcutta but comprising Sylhet locale. Intrigued by the intense tension of Muslims in case they be exposed to a never-ending Hindu-greater part rule, they inspected with extraordinary consideration the ramifications of shaping a completely sovereign territory of Pakistan however closed they couldn’t encourage the English government to move its capacity to two sovereign states. All things being equal, they suggested the exchange of British India authority to the union of India.

Now let’s have a close look at what if?

The subcontinent would have gotten away from the twisting experience of division with its orderly anguish and proceeded with sharpness.

The international strategy of India would not have been overwhelmed by relations with Pakistan, with all the orderly distortions. Nor would it have been mutilated by the contrasting international strategies of India and Pakistan during the Cold war. The US and the Soviet Association may both have been well disposed of or not interested in the new India. An assembled alliance would not have been included, as Pakistan became included, with the ascent of the Taliban in Afghanistan nor would it have gotten so enmeshed in the American conflict on fear ism as Pakistan has been.

The agony and suffering could have circumvented additionally violence and poverty caused due to extreme impact of 1971 liberation war waged against Pakistan, damages resulting from operation searchlight, East Pakistan could have been avoided and so resultantly development could have been done rapidly.

Unified India would be precious with extra land and states but on other hand it may be the negative side that additional political parties could try to extend their ideologies on the areas under their control and after getting control over a large area there is the possibility of them to no cooperate with the center for harmony so this may lead to further disturbance but as its mere theory then it could be molded in positive aspect too. Further Riots between India and Pakistan could have been avoided this could have saved a large number of lives and property.

Kashmir could have been more peaceful and valley could have witnessed more development as the fight for a piece of land could have been avoided. Even a piece of land, line of actual control, controlled China could have been avoided. Extremist movements and Ghelani could be separated and so more peace could have been there in valley. 

Lastly one can’t forget unity imagine all regional parties compilation then there would have representatives from all neglected communities like Sinhalese, Balochis, Bengalis, Tamils, Pashtuns, Gorkhas, Bhutanese, Telegu people, etc.