Jinnah ... and all that

K P S Gill, writing in the Pioneer, and republished in Outlook under the title Jinnah's Harvest of Hatred clearly disagrees with those who suddenly find Jinnah secular. In my opinion [and I have done some reading on India's history], Jinnah was never a devout Muslim in his personal life and turned from a secular person to a communalist sometime in the late 30's / early 40's. {see my quote from M C Chagla's book} Many who have suffered in the Partition are unhappy about the sudden desire to project Jinnah's secular credentials.

However, what really matters is that we are all wasting our time on a diversionary-issue. What Jinnah thought and said does not matter now – the Partition and the carnage are an irrefutable fact. Yes, it is also possible that Advani quoted Jinnah to remind the Pakistanis of what Pakistan could have been – but nobody in India or Pakistan is likely to dwell on “what could have been”. What really matters now is that we are expected to trust Pakistan once again {for the reasons, as I perceive them, I outlined in my note of 09-Jun-05 } The Gas Pipeline from Iran isn't guaranteed yet as, although, we have signed an agreement with Iran, the US has threatened Pakistan with sanctions. Then, again, the latest bombing in Kashmir hasnt exactly left Kashmiris expecting peace anytime soon.