The Emergence of Pakistan II

As I inform you that “The Emergence of Pakistan” part II publish soon, here is the part II and off course its part III may be final or may be it’ll be more expand. During writin this don’t have any clue whre to end-up or finished, just wrote it which is falling from the skies into my mind… 🙂

Please follow the 2nd part of The Emergence of Pakistan.

 

The Muslims

The Muslims entered the subcontinent in AD 642 and conquered Makran under the command of Abdullah-bin-Abdullah during the caliphate of Hazrat Umer (R.A) Sindh was annexed in AD 712 by Muhammad-bin-Qasim who advanced as far as Multan. The Muslims then withdrew from Sindh but Makran continued to remain under the Muslim rule for a long time. In the tenth century Ibn Haukal found that Isa-bin-Madan, and Arab, was ruling over Makran. In AD 1001 the Muslims entered the subcontinent from the north-west under the leadership of Mahmood Ghaznavi. They penetrated as far as Mathura and Somnath (Kathiawar) but held only the Punjab up to Thanesar. The continuous rule of the Muslims began with the decisive victory of Muhammad Ghori over the Rajput princes at Thanesar in 1192. This opened the gateway to Delhi. Within a few years the Ganges Plain as far as Nadia (Bengal) was subjugated and the Muslim rule in the subcontinent was firmly established.

From that date up to 1857 for 650 years that sovereign power rested with the Muslims. Their empire did not remain equally extensive all the time. It was most extensive during the reign of Aurangzeb (1707) when it had spread as far south as the Cauvery River. During the end of the Muslim rule, the Moghal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was a titular head. The real power was wielded by the British. The Muslim supremacy however was deeply established and widely accepted. Even though the Moghal emperor had neither the wealth nor the power he continued to act as the symbol of sovereignty.     

The Mansabdars who were independent rulers of their states continued to seek recognition of their titles from Delhi even in the far-off areas like Bengal and the Deccan Peninsula. As late as 1765 when the British wielded full power in Bengal, the East India Company got its powers of diwani (the right of collection of revenue) regularized by a grant from the Emperor. The Muslim rule finally ended with the formal annexation of the subcontinent by the British Crown in 1858.

 

The British

The British entry into the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent took place through the East India Company. It was a trading company founded on 31 December 1600. It established it’s first factory in the subcontinent at Surat in 1613. Within a century the company was well set with its chief centers at Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. The company became a great political force after its victory at Plassey in 1757 over Nawab Sirajuddaulah of Bengal.

At that time Bengal was a large province which comprised Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and parts of Assam. In 1765 the East Indian Company was granted diwani in Bengal. From 1757 the territorial responsibility of the company increased rapidly. With the success achieved by the East India Company, the British government began to increase its control over the company. In 1784 the political and military policy of the company was handed over the Board of Control stationed in London. By the middle of the eighteenth century the political control of the British through the East India Company extended over the whole of the subcontinent. In 1857 at attempt was made to overthrow the British yoke. An armed revolution took place which was ruthlessly crushed. Next year in 1858 Emperor, Bhadur Shah Zafar, was deposed and exiled to Burma.

The British empire in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent was established on the ruins of the Muslim rule. This at once put the Muslims and the British in opposite camps. The British distrusted the Muslims. The enmity reached its height during and after the armed struggle for freedom in 1857. The doors of government favor were shut to the Muslims. Many Muslims already in the employment of the government were dismissed on frivolous grounds. The Muslims also hated everything that was British including the English language and Western education. This more than anything else harmed the Muslims.  In 1835 English replaced Persian as the official language. The Muslims failed to adjust to the new situation. The result was that in 1880-81, the Muslims attending English high school numbered 363 as against 36,686 Hindus. In 1878, there were 57 Muslims with graduate degrees while the number of Hindus was 3,155.

The power that the Muslims had exercised was gone and the wealth that they possessed was depleting fast. In the new set-up the Hindus were the allies of the British. They made all efforts to gain the favor of the British. In that they easily succeeded. Soon the Hindus began to control government machinery. They also controlled the business. The agricultural lands were slipping away from the Muslims to the Hindus. The Muslims, who not many years ago had been the lords of the land were devoid of power and wealth. Their condition was miserable. They were dazed and they knew not what to do. It was then that Syed Ahmed Khan, a retired judge, that the Muslims must not remain aloof. They should try to gain the confidence of the British. He also gave a call to learn English acquire Western education. For this he established the Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875 which later developed into the Muslim University. It was from there that the Aligarh Moment, which inspired the Muslim youth of the subcontinent, started. Much was said and is still being said against his unconditional support of the British and the acceptance of Western education in an undiluted form. But he gave hope to the Muslims at a time of despair, and a rudder which was badly needed.

 

 

Continue…

Part I : The Emergence of Pakistan Part III : The Emergence of Pakistan 

 

Khursheed Alam
Latest posts by Khursheed Alam (see all)

About The Author

Khursheed Alam

I wish to be a positive example for those who wish to succeed in similar fields of operation. I build my enterprise from heart and with passion, which mostly consists of how I can constantly improve and help others as well towards a better life. I would like to prove that with the right attitude, know-how, strong faith and hard work we can reach goals we truly deserve.

See author's posts