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Three Perspectives on Partition a Hindu, Muslim and Western View on the Decolonization of India and Founding of Pakistan

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Three Perspectives on Partition a Hindu, Muslim and Western View on the Decolonization of India and Founding of Pakistan Three Perspectives on Partition A Hindu, Muslim and Western View on the Decolonization of India and Founding of Pakistan Felix Verhagen Political Science Department Radboud University Nijmegen A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Science Nijmegen, 2017 We want to be a single People of brethren Never to part in danger nor distress We want to be free, as our fathers were And rather die than live in slavery We want to trust in the one highest God And never be afraid of human power The Rütlischwur (1291 A.D.) Abstract Postcolonialism assumes that knowledge is not simply a mirror which represents the real, but is rather a potent force that shapes our reality. This assumption informs this thesis by comparing historic books on the decolonization of India from a Hindu, Muslim and Western perspective. The discourse of their works are compared within a deconstructive discourse framework and related to postcolonial theories concerning: Eurocentrism, Orientalism, Occidentalism, Violence and Psychanalysis. The discourse of the authors shows great diversity on the decolonization of India and founding of Pakistan. The authors deviate in their descriptions on the years preceding inde- pendence, the transfer of power in 1947 and the consequences of decolonization. The Western authors (Lapierre & Collins, 1975) pay most attention to the year 1947; just before the transfer of power, whereas the Hindu author (Mahajan, 2000) analyzes British-Indian relations pre-1947 and the Muslim author (Abid, 2013) devotes much discourse on the consequences of independence. Secondly, the postcolonial literature concerning Eurocentrism and Orientalism are confirmed in the Western book. Their view contrasts with the Hindu and Muslim discourse on colonialism which is imbued with occidental generalizations. Furthermore, the authors differ in their books on de- scriptions of violence. The Western authors portray violence during- and after decolonization as barbaric, whereas the subaltern authors conclude that violence broke out as emancipatory acts to counter British colonial rule. Keywords: Decolonization, Eurocentrism, India, Occidentalism, Orientalism, Pakistan, Postcolonialism, Psychoanalysis, Violence Contents List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 8 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................... 6 2.1 An Introduction to Postcolonialism .................................................................................. 6 2.2 Eurocentrism ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Orientalism ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Occidentalism ................................................................................................................. 18 2.5 Violence .......................................................................................................................... 20 2.5.1 Decolonization ......................................................................................................... 21 2.5.2 Colonialism and Psychoanalysis .............................................................................. 24 2.6 Postcoloniality ................................................................................................................ 29 3. Method ................................................................................................................................. 31 3.1 Expectations .................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Background Information on the Authors and the Books ................................................ 32 3.3 Deconstructive Discourse Analysis ................................................................................ 35 4. A Hindu, Muslim and Western Perspective on the Decolonization of India ....................... 39 4.1 Structure of Analysis ...................................................................................................... 39 4.2 Period 1 - Discourse Comparison of Western, Muslim and Hindu books ..................... 41 4.3 Period 1 - Discourse in Relationship to Postcolonial theory .......................................... 43 4.4 Period 2 - Discourse Comparison of Western, Muslim and Hindu books ..................... 51 4.5 Period 2 - Discourse in Relationship to Postcolonial theory .......................................... 53 4.6 Period 3 - Discourse Comparison of Western, Muslim and Hindu books ..................... 57 4.7 Period 3 - Discourse in Relationship to Postcolonial theory .......................................... 58 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 63 Reference list ............................................................................................................................ 67 Appendix 1 - Background Information till the Appointment of Viceroy Mountbatten ....... 72 Discourse Western book ................................................................................................... 72 Discourse Muslim book .................................................................................................... 77 Discourse Hindu book ....................................................................................................... 79 Appendix 2 - Appointment Mountbatten till Independence Day of India ............................ 84 Discourse Western book ................................................................................................... 84 Discourse Muslim book .................................................................................................... 90 Discourse Hindu book ....................................................................................................... 94 Appendix 3 - Discourse of the Books after India’s Independence Day ............................... 97 Discourse Western book ................................................................................................... 97 Discourse Muslim book .................................................................................................. 102 Discourse Hindu book ..................................................................................................... 108 List of Abbreviations C.M.P. Cabinet Mission Plan C.R.O. Commonwealth Relations Office C.W. Commonwealth E.I.C. East India Company E.U. European Union F.L.N. Front de Libération Nationale G-G Governor General H.M.S. Her Majesty’s Ship I.C.S. Indian Civil Service I.N.A. Indian National Army I.R.T. International Relations Theory N.W.F.P. North-West Frontier Province N.Y.T. New York Times P.M. Prime Minister R.I.N. Royal Indian Navy R.S.S. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh S.E.A.C South East Asian Commander U.K. United Kingdom U.N. United Nations U.P. Uttar Pradesh U.S. United States U.S.S.R. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics W.W. World War 1. Introduction Authors of Western historiography refer to the decolonization of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947 with the term ‘partition’. This contrasts with non–Western authors of historiography who claim that ‘partition’ relates to the vivisection of the Punjab and Bengal regions in Northern India. Both regions were included with four other provinces to form the new state Pakistan. The different interpretations of the word ‘partition’ shows that historic discourse is produced in a specific political, social and historical context. At the same time, shapes our understanding of the past our interpretations of present and possible future. Founder of the postcolonial discipline Edward Said claims: “there is no way in which the past can be quarantined from the present” (Said, 1993: 2). This thesis is related to the subject of historiography by focusing on the causality of three authors on the decolonization of India and the founding of Pakistan in 1947. A Hindu, Muslim and Western perspective will be compared on this tumultuous period in India’s history. The perspectives of these authors (Abid, 2013, Mahajan, 2000, Lapierre & Collins, 1975) are chosen because all three parties were involved in the transfer of power. The British governed the state of India for 300 years. After World War II (WW II), the new elected Labour Prime Minister, Clement Attlee initiated the withdrawal of British overseas empire in India. The question remained how the state would be transferred to the Indian government. Multiple plans were written by the British on how the independent state of India would be governed. In the end, the British, Indian and Muslim party leaders found a compromise. The Northern Muslim provinces would secede together with a partition of Punjab and Bengal districts in an independent Muslim state called Pakistan. The consequences of this decision were devastating. Hindus and Sikhs were forced to flee to their ‘mother country’ and conversely, Muslims were driven out India to the new Muslim state. More than a million people were killed, and twelve million people were displaced in the process of partition (Butalia, 2000). Hence, the Muslim, Hindu,
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