Prof. Willem van Schendel, Department of History, Amsterdam University, Amsterdam, in his presentation Quit India! Explaining Mass Deportations of Bangladeshi Immigrants examined the history of state formation in South Asia that left definitions of citizenship and belonging much more open to interpretation as compared to other parts of the world. He presented three competing narratives of homecoming, infiltration, and denial outlining the long-term territorial strategies of Bangladesh and India regarding unauthorized migration of Bangladeshis to India. The acceptance of migrants on either side of the Indo-Bangladesh border phased out gradually. Later migrants found their citizenship rights increasingly challenged.
Prof. Schendel highlighted the plight of these individuals whom both India and Bangladesh deny citizenship and declare as refugees or infiltrators. These people are labeled aliens, terrorists, health hazards and law breakers. India enjoys cheap labor by keeping them under the threat of deportation. Several draconian but ineffective measures adopted by India including border fencing, detection, identification and mass deportation have failed to stop the Bangladeshi migrants. Even today, it is not always clear who is a citizen of India or Bangladesh. He concluded that an end to the mass deportations of hapless migrants would be possible only if India and Bangladesh frame a serious rethink of their respective territorial policies.
Dr. Mubarik Ali, a renowned historian and former Chairman, Department of History, University of Sindh in his presentation The concept of other: historical perspective of Hindu-Muslim stated relations between the Hindus and the Muslims in the Indian subcontinent never remained constant. They continued to change responding to political, social, and economic development. Dr. Ali traced the influence of the rulers, ulema, and other factors influencing the relations between the two communities. He said that the attitudes of Arab traders towards local communities of India were different from the Arab conquerors. The Muslim rulers faced the dilemma of either treating Hindus as people of the book ( Ahlay Kitab ) or infidels. Mohammad Bin Qasim solved the problem by treating them as “ Zimnies ” and required them to pay Jazia (tax). The ulema, however did not like the policy. The emperor Akbar adopted the Hindu culture and provided religious liberty and translated a number of Hindu and other religious texts. His policy of ‘peace with all' made him the ‘emperor of India' rather than merely the ‘king of Muslims'.
According to Dr. Ali, the ulema opposed the policy of equality and integration with Hindus and encouraged Muslims to avoid mixing with non-Muslims. They also invited Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade India to save Islam. Dr. Ali concluded that the Pakistanis inherited the above-stated Ulema's attitude and developed similar relationship with a neighboring ‘Hindu' state.
Harris Khalique, Executive Director, SPO Islamabad presented his paper entitled The Emergence of Mohajir Ethnicity. The paper addressed the social, cultural, and economic reasons for the introduction of mohajirs as an ethnic group in Pakistan. Khalique maintained that mohajir identity never got translated into a nationality. He added that textbooks deprive 10 million people of a national identity when they divide the nation into Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochis and Pathans.
He said that seven million people had migrated to Pakistan from India by the year 1951. He added that 70% of these were from Indian Punjab. More than 80% were settled in Punjab. Their absorption in Punjab was easier than in Sindh where the migrants were culturally and linguistically distinct. The mohajirs, who were, according to Harris, literate, urbanized and skilled, secured most of the government and other jobs in the urban centers of Sindh and rose to powerful positions. Harris said that the military government of Ayub was uncomfortable with the demonstrated civic and political awareness of mohajirs . The shifting of capital in the sixties was a message to mohajirs that from then on, they will have secondary positions in the functioning of the state. The mohajirs also witnessed government jobs going to other ethnicities. Concluding, Khalique hoped mohajirs would merge into a broader Sindhi identity. He also identified the emergence of a ‘Karachi identity' for the mohajirs.
The chair, Dr. Tariq Rehman and the discussant Dr. Zarina Salamat in their concluding remarks said that the very notion of “others” should be shunned. Instead of institutionalizing, we should neutralize such myths and negate the “othering”. The history textbooks should deconstruct such negative stereotypes and develop a counter discourse. Dr. Rehman added that the creation of nationalism within borders, a narrative of common history, and the notion of unity raises the concept of ‘others' also.
Reported by Mohammad Shah Farrukh
| Email Article |  |
Print Article | |
Next Article |
PDF Format
