Speakers at a panel discussion on book titled "The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed" Friday said that the history of partition of India in 1947 had been distorted in both the countries for nationalist purposes which amplified the religious intolerance in their societies. Eminent historians and academicians participated in the panel discussion organized by the Quaid-e-Azam Political Science Society of Government College University Lahore.
The book, written by Stockholm University, Sweden Professor Emeritus Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed, shed a light on the events of partition through the secret British reports and oral history. Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hassan Amir Shah chaired the panel discussion which was also addressed by eminent scholars while Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed was also present on this occasion and responded to the quires of speakers and participants about book. This is the second edition of the book which marks the 70th anniversary of the partition of Punjab. It contains more poignant accounts by eye witnesses, survivors, and even participators, each uniquely reflecting the tragedy of partition.
In his remarks, Dr Yaqoob Bangash, an Assistant Professor of South Asian History at IT University Lahore, said a bloodied movement or process of cleansing the society from minorities had begun at the time partition, but later it could never be stopped, and with a passage of time, it took the shape of a sectarian movement. He also highlighted the conflicts between the oral history and archival history of partition. Addressing the panel discussion, GCU Political Science Department Chairperson Professor Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt said that use of religion in politics always lead to intolerance. "It is evident from history that whenever religion is used in politics, it ends with violence and bloodshed," he added.
Professor Butt believed that the religious and sectarianism intolerance is the biggest threats to Pakistan and for Islamic world. He also said that Government version of history has been taught by and large to the students in schools, colleges and universities since independence. Dr Ali Usman Qasmi of LUMS, said that the partition of India in 1947 resulted in the biggest forced migration in history some 14 million people altogether-of which 10 million were from Punjab were forcefully migrated. "It also resulted in the killing of one million Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of which 500,000 -800,000 people were from Punjab," he added. He also talked about the violence on women in 1946-47 and how that affected the women later on.
"Though historians failed to narrate this violence, but at least some masterpieces of Urdu literature has highlighted these experiences," he concluded Urdu fiction writer Dr Saima Iram and Punjabi literature critic Professor Dr Muhammad Saeed Khawar also addressed the seminar and talked about the amount of diversity in the book.
Two witnesses of the partition Rana Muhammad Azhar Khan and Sheikh Hameed Ali Tanveer also addressed the event and shared their stories. At the end a lively question answer session was held.