There was none like the young Mohammad Ali Jinnah who came to be called the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. Due to his hatred for communal politics to which the Congress got drawn, he not only resigned from the party of which he was the most promising face but left India with a will of never returning to politics. It was his detest for the self-centred Nehruvian politics and the Congress’ ambiguity over the role of Muslims in independent India that made him push for Pakistan. Jinnah’s political and personal skills were indeed marvellous and whatever ideology his contemporaries maintained they praised him for what he was, if not for what he did.
Yasir Malik, New Delhi
The varied reactions of anger, praise, affirmations and denials to Jaswant Singh’s book on Jinnah are understandable. A Partition that eventually resulted in the formation of three nations — two Muslim and one secular — could certainly not have been the handiwork of one individual or his opinion.
Many nations became independent after World War II not only because of freedom struggles but also the imperialists’ decision to rule the world in a different way. In this game, leaders like Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel, and Jinnah became pawns. Books or articles written on them now should not be taken seriously as they are just opinions on historical events.
B.F.H.R. Bijli, Thiruvananthapuram
We had a sensational week that was full of Jaswant and Jinnah, with a sprinkling of Jaitley and others, and a shrill media walking us down memory lane with learned comments. We had a large number of citizens taking this or that side. Finally, I was happy to see one reader saying we should be tackling people’s issues, putting non-issues behind (Letters, Aug. 22). We have lived up to the legacy of our British rulers, and have taken the art of ‘divide and rule’ to great heights of perfection. We fail to realise that an aggrieved citizen like, say, a Kashmiri who has lost his ties with his family forever cares about neither India nor Pakistan — whether they are made out to be secular, socialistic or Islamic. There are innumerable citizens in every part of the country who are noble and selfless. They should occupy most of the place in the media.
K. Ramaswamy, Coimbatore
