august 14
1947
Pakistani Independence Day ...

Independence is achieved ... but Freedom and Sovereignty are lost ! the British have won despite having lost to us God knows whatever happened to the Shield of Brotherhood that has faced every blow of the British and came out stronger every time! The fight and struggle for freedom has taken an off the road turn and now the struggle for 'FREEDOM' has turned into a useless' BLOOD BATTLE' between Hindus and Muslims. Suddenly it appears as if 'SWARAAJ' and 'AAZAADI' have different meanings ffor people of the two RELIGIONS who have continued to live in harmony with each other for more than 1500 years . They are not just people , but suddenly they are two Religions ... two COUNTRIES !!


The British have divided Hind as per their policy of DIVIDE and RULE , and for them the partition is nothing for than a new line to be drawn in the map but to the inhabitants this line is a sign of a great LOSS ! For India and Pakistan this line is the bitter truth that marks the disintegration of a civilization that had existed for more than 1500 years ! This line divided our MOTHERLAND into INDIA and PAKISTAN !

Till now we were ONE , but all of a sudden we find each other STRANGERS ! The people who Greeted each other with 'NAMASTE' and 'AADAAB' now exchange with other blows over blows of SWORDS ! a 'MUSLIM' sword takes away a 'HINDU' mother's son while a 'HINDU' blade slays a 'MUSLIM' husband before my eyes . I hide behind a box at the Amritsar station waiting for the train from Pakistan to come . The train arrives , but no one gets off it ... no one LIVES to get off ! It is yet another train full of not people but SLAIN HINDUS . The only sounds I hear are helpless cries of people ... 'I CANT MAKE OUT WHICH CRY IS OF A HINDU OR WHICH IS OF A MUSLIM ... I GUESS NO ONE CAN !'


' You filthy animal! Your blood is dirtier than my TOILET , your blood is BLACK instead of RED !' , a SIKH slays a MUSLIM ! I am still hiding .... i wait till midnight when the train is ready to start on it's way to PAKISTAN full of slain MUSLIMS now instead of HINDUS ! A HINDU is helping me and two other MUSLIM families escape .... it is night so no one can see us ! The twelve of us are now in the train when we thank the HINDU for his assistance . H e is about to leave when i speak up ,'BHAI JAAN , YOUR LEFT ARM IS WOUNDED .... HOW COME ?' he doesn't answer me but just smiles . A child from behind me speaks ,'YOUR BLOOD IS THE SAME COLOUR AS OURS ! WHY WAS THAT MAN ABUSING US THEN ?'

The man stopped smiling , handed me some money and food, puts his hand on the child's head and says ,'GRIEF HAS MAD HIM MAD WITH FURY , BUT YES YOUR BLOOD IS HE SAME COLOUR AS OURS ...IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN....IT ALWAYS WILL BE ! '