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Written by Radhika Basu Thakkar
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Monday, 16 June 2008 |
John Lennon once sang, “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to
do. Nothing to kill or die for, no religion too. Imagine all the
people, Living life in peace.”
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”.
Courtesy : TakingItGlobal
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