Whenever the month of December arrives, and the sixteenth day of this month comes around, it reminds us that Pakistan’s eastern wing was separated from us due to India’s conspiracies and the negligence of some of our own people. At the same time, this very date, 16 December, also marks the APS tragedy, in which innocent children were martyred in the name of Islam. On 16 December 1971, when the eastern wing, or East Pakistan, was torn away from us, the primary role was played by our enemy country, India. India attacked the Two-Nation Theory, and everyone remembers Indira Gandhi’s famous statement in which she claimed that “today we have drowned the Two-Nation Theory in the Ganges.” But Indira Gandhi forgot that ideologies do not end with the separation or division of countries. The Two-Nation Theory is still a part of the faith of Pakistan’s 250 million people, and they are protecting it with heart and soul.
As far as the separation of East Pakistan is concerned, local politicians there played an important role. By tempting and misleading them, India incited them against Pakistan. And remember, the separation of East Pakistan was not India’s victory but rather its failure, because India had always desired to merge East Bengal into West Bengal. However, this conspiracy failed, and an independent Islamic country came into existence under the name of Bangladesh.
There are many lessons hidden for us in the separation of East Pakistan. We must learn to identify traitors within our own ranks, those who seek only power in the name of politics and do not care even if the country is split for the sake of their ambitions. Secondly, we must learn from our mistakes, because history always leaves behind a lesson. Thus, 16 December 1971 left us with the lesson that we must not play into the hands of the enemy at the cost of national interest, and that for the sake of the country, we must set aside our differences and unite because therein lies the secret of the nation’s progress and success.
When nations fall prey to internal discord, the enemy finds an opportunity to sow the seeds of hatred and does not hesitate to strike. Therefore, as Pakistanis, we must continue to promote and nurture the Two-Nation Theory, because our enemy-Modi and the BJP is working day and night to promote the ideology of Hindutva. In India, life has become unbearable for Muslims; the special status of occupied Kashmir has been abolished; and the BJP is even preventing Muslims from offering prayers. In short, the Modi government is using every tactic to promote the BJP’s Hindutva ideology. In response, we, too, as Muslims, must strive to promote the Two-Nation Theory in our country. Above all, our rulers must promote the Two-Nation Theory at the state level and instil it firmly in every child’s mind that we are a separate nation, that we have our own identity, and that our religion teaches love, not hatred.
Even today, people associated with the TTP are attacking the Pakistan Army.
That is why, when we turned away from unity and harmony, India began supporting the terrorist organisation known as Tehreek-e-Taliban, which attacked a school in Peshawar on 16 December 2016 and martyred 134 children. The terrorists who came to kill these children considered themselves Muslims, but if one looks at their actions, they in no way correspond to the spirit or teachings of jihad in Islam.
Even today, people associated with the TTP are attacking the Pakistan Army. We must continue our moral support for our army, because the enemy is spreading baseless propaganda to weaken it. It is our army that sacrificed seventy thousand lives to protect the country from this external menace. Now, once again, this same group, with India’s backing, is planning to spread chaos in Pakistan through terrorism. Just as the children martyred on 16 December 2016 gave their blood for this country, it is our responsibility today to ensure that their sacrifice is not wasted, and to strengthen the hands of our army in order to eradicate these external elements.
Since the expulsion of foreigners illegally residing in Pakistan has begun, some of our own people have started sympathising with them. In pursuit of a few votes, they have forgotten that these external elements are hiding among those illegal foreign residents and are challenging Pakistan’s security. There is no doubt that this group, which claims to be Islamic in name, receives financial support from India. The same India where Muslims are being slaughtered.
If they truly feel such sympathy for oppressed Muslims, then why do they not turn towards India? Instead, they take aid from India and attack an Islamic country. Therefore, as Pakistanis, it is our duty to recognise such elements and support the Pakistan Army as much as possible in uprooting them, because the Pakistan Army is the guardian of the country’s borders. Our enemy knows very well that to weaken the country, its armed forces must be targeted. But not only is the Pakistan Army filled with the spirit of martyrdom to eliminate such elements, but Pakistan’s people also stand firmly behind their army.
The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.