Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram director P. Parameswaran has hailed Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju for his remarks on the merger of Pakistan with India.
“It remains to be seen how the supporters of Partition, especially the Muslim League, respond to Mr. Katju’s prediction that India and Pakistan will be reunited within 15 to 20 years,” he said in a pressnote issued here on Tuesday.
“Pakistan was borne out of hatred for India, and still thrives on the same basis. But developments within Pakistan show that this cannot be a cementing factor. The Shias, Wahabis, and Ahmadiyyas within Pakistan are fighting and killing each other. Muslims in India coexist with the majority community, barring a few relatively minor and sporadic incidents. Reunion between the two countries alone can bring about lasting peace in the region.”
Mr. Parameswaran, however, said scholars of history will found it difficult to subscribe to Mr. Katju’s view that India was largely a nation of immigrants, and that it was Akbar and Jawaharlal Nehru who deserved credit for the unity of India.
“It is true that India is a land of diversity, but that diversity is not due to waves of immigration. It is a false reading of history. Centuries before Akbar was born, Sankaracharya had demonstrated that culturally and spiritually, India was one. It was Swami Vivekananda who inspired Gandhiji and Nehru to fight for India’s freedom.”
He said it was unfortunate that a person like Mr. Katju had turned a blind eye to these facts.
