Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan

359 Pages·2011·7.99 MB·English

by  M.J. Akbar

Tinderbox
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thea uthoorft hiwso rk.
Thev iewasn do pinions exipntr heisbsso eodka ret hea uthoorw'nsa ndt hef acatrsea s
reporbtyeh di mw hichha vbee evne riftiote hd ee xtepnots siabnledt, h ep ublisahreenr ost i n
anyw ayl iabfloetr hes ame.
Althouegvhe reyf fohrat,sb eemna det oc ontaccotp yrihgohltd earnsdo btapienr mission,
ith asn otb eepno ssitbold eo s oi na lcla seAsn.y o missibornosu gthoto urn otiwciel ble
incorporated eidni tifountsu.r e
Allr ighrtess ervNeod p.a rotf t hipsu blicamtaiyob ner eproduced,
storienda retriseyvsatle omrt, r ansmiitnta endyf, o rmo rb ya nym eanse,l ectronic,
mechanipchaolt,o copyriencgo,r doirno gt herwise,
withotuhtep riopre rmissoifto hnep ublishers.
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Contents
Introdnu ctio ix
I.Th e Ageo fD efeat I
2.A ScimitaartS omanath 16
3.A Theoryo fD istance 46
4. An EngliFsihn esse 75
5. GreyW olf 100
6.G andhiM'asu lanas 120
7. TheN on-violJeinhta d 141
8. TheM usliDmr iftf romG andhi 166
9. BreakiPnogi nt 190
10.F aitihnF aith 217
II.T heG odfathoefPr a kistan 233
viii Contents
12.G od's General 257
13.T he LoJnigh ad 271
14.P akistTahne:S iegWei thin 288
Notes 314
hzdex 324
BookCsi ted 336
Acknowledgements 341
Aboutth Aeu thor 343
Inotdruction
It waso neo ft hosseu ggestiotnhsas te emp erfecstelnys ible
durinag s pirictoendv ersaattit ohneh ome. oaf,d eafrr ieinnd
KarachBir.a vadcoo mese asiilnyt hed rawinrgo omA. fellow
guesat f,o rmedri gnitoafryf,e rteotd a kmee tot heB inomrois que
andm adrasfao,u ndebdy MaulanYau sufB inorsio ona fter
independeinn1c 9e47 ;i ts aysso methitnhgah te h adn ots eeint
eithWeer .w eren oti nspibryevd i sioonfas l ocTaalj M ahalb,u t
byt hew idelhye lbde litehfat th iwsa st hes anctuoafryO sama bin
Ladednu rintgh e faplelroiwob de tween the Mjgihhaaandg ainst
theS oviUenti ona ndh isd eclaraotfiw oanr u ponA merica. In
1998t,h et hens piritmueanlt oorf B inorMiu,f tNii zamuddin
Shamzahia,d i ssuae df atwsaa yintgh akti lliAnmge ricawnass
justifAi eldi.t tllaet eLra,s hkarT-aey-yibwah,i chb ecamea n
internatioountaclaa sftt ietro rganitzheeMd u mbaiat tacokns2 6
Novembe2r0 08,i ssuead s imildaerc reTeh.e Talibainn
Afghanishtoanno uraendy v isiftroorm B inoarsia statgeu est.
The ridwea su neventtfhueml o,s qulea rgrea thtehra inm posing.
We mountesdt eptsh aot peneidn tao spacioruesc,t angular
courtyard surbryor uonodmesAd. f ews tudelnotist earreodu nd,
for wiats neithteirm ef ors tudnyo rp rayetrh,e ir dress
indistingufirsohmaa bnlyIe s lamsiecm inaoryn t hes ubcontinent:
whitpeyj amaesn dintgw oi ncheasb ovteh ea nklweh,i tkeu rta,
whitcea pt auotv etr hes calAps.I bentt ou nlacmey shoeIs ,
dismisas seldi gthrte moorfu neasuen,w illtiona gc cetphta Itw as
Introduction
X
afraidIt. wasi mpossihbolwee,v enro,tt os ensteh awte wereo n
thet hreshoofla d d ifferewnotr ldw,h erae differleanwat n da
separaotred eprr evailTehde.K arachpio licweo uldp robably
haveg uffawaetdt het hought thante edtehtdeo dy o s omething
abouatn I ndiahne lhdo staignet hem osqueF.o oldse sertvhee ir
fatThee.n ,w ithoau wto rdm,y companion sigwniatlahlj eedr,k
oft heh eadt,h aittw ast imteo e ndt hisst upidWiet rye.t urnteod
thec ara ta brisk pjaucsseth, o rotfa panircu n.
The time rfuomri natwioounl cdo mel ateBru.ts urethleyr ew asa n
obviouism,m ediateq uestitohna dte mandeadn a nsweMru.s limosf
BritiIsnhd ihaa do ptefdo ars eparate homienl1 a9n47d ,d estroying
thep ossibiolfai steyc ulIanrd iian w hichH induasn dM uslims
woulcdo exibsetc,a utshee bye lietvheadtt h ewyo ulbde p hysically
safaen,d t heirre ligsieocnu rien,a newn atiocna llPeadk istan.
Instewaidt,h isni dxe cadePsa,k ishtaandb ecomoen eo ft hem ost
violennatt ioonnse artnho,tb ecauHsien duwse rek illMiunsgl ims
butb ecauMsues limwse rek illiMnugs lims.
Natioanrse n otb orna croas sb reakfatsatb lTeh.e ipre rioodf
gestatiisos nu reolnye o ft hem oref ascinacthianpgt eirnst he
studoyf h istoTryh.e i ndisputsatbalteu orfeM ohammadA li
Jinna.ham, a steorft hee ndgamhea,sl edto a notitohna Pta kistan
emergeodu to fa resoluptaisosnei dnM arch1 940a tt heM uslim
Leagusee ssiionLn a horTeh.er ealiistm yo rec omplicaPtaekdi.s tan
emergeodu to fa feaorf t hef utuarned p ridient hep asbtu,t t his
feabre gaans a moodo fa nguissehint amongt heM uslieml ite
durintgh el ondge clionfet heM ughaElm pirien t hee ighteenth
centurTyh.e e mbryoh ada longa ndt urbuleenxti stence,
particudluarrliynt gh ·eg eneratwihoennis t r emainsehda peless.
Thisb ooki sa histooryfa ni deaas i tw eaveadn db obbeidt s
way througdhr amateivce ntwsi thr arer esiliesnocmee,t imes
disappeafrrionmsg i ghbtu,ta lwayrse surreecittehdbe yrt hewi ll
ofp roponeonrtt sh em istakoefos p ponenIttbs e.g ahne sitantly,
int hes hadoowf t hea geo fd ecliinnet ,h e1 750sw,h ent he
collaopfst eh eM ughaElm piraen dt hec onsequdeinsti ntegration
ofw hati sc alle'dM uslirmu lei'n I ndicao ulndo longebre
disguibsyee dx planattihoenosr,oi reh so peo fr evival.
Introduction xi
Pakistiasna successor tost thaetM eu ghalE mpiret,h e
culminatoifoa n j ournetyh abte ganas a searcfho r' Muslim
spacien'a post-Musdliismp ensantuirotnu,r beyda dreatdh at
becamae c onvicttihoanat: d emograpmhiinco riwtyo ulndo tb e
ablteop roteecitt hietrs oerli ft fsa itunhl eistes s tablicsuhletdu ral
andp olitidciaslt anfcreo ma n overwhelmmianjgo riHtyi ndu
presenMcues.l imwsh,o h adl iveidnI ndifao rf ivcee nturwiietsh
a superiocroimtyp lesxu,d denlluyr cheidn ttoh ec onsuming
doubotf a ni nferiocroimtpyl ewxh icbhe camsee lf-perpetuating
withe veryc halletnhgaect a meu p durindgi fferpehnats eosf
turbulceonlto nriaull e.
The infirmiotfti heisis d ewae ren everre cognibzeecda utshee y
could only ebveicdoeminentp ractiAcne e.x istentqiuaelsitsito n
was completieglnyo rewda:s I slasmo w eakt haitt c oulndo t
survivaesa m inority prTehseernweca esn? o thingi.tgisln i ttering
pastto s uggestth ibsu,t t hosweh or aistehde q uestiloink,te h e
brillisacnhto lar-polMiatuilcainaAanb ulK alamA zadw,e re
dismissierdo,n icaalstl rya,i ttoor sI slam.
Thef irpshta sceo nsiosftt sh ey earbse twee1n7 39a nd1 757.
In1 739a, P ersimaanr aduer-kiNnagd,i Srh ahe,n terDeedl hais
Mughal Emperor MuhSahmamha''dsg uesTtw'o. d aysl ater,
NadirS hahu,s inang untenabelxec usoer,d eread m assacre
whichd idn otd iscrimibneattwee eMnu slimasn dH induAns .
estimat2e0d, 00w0e rek illewdo,m enr apedan dt hec apital
plunderoefpd r ivaatnedp ubliwce altMht.e rf ifty-deaiygoshf t
terroNra,d iSrh ahd epartweidt ha hoarodf i nvaluajbelwee ls,
goladn dc oinisn,c ludtihneKg o hinodoira monadn dS haJhe han's
PeacoTchkr onTeh.e M ughaElm pirae s,u perpotwherre dee cades
befornee,v er recofvreormte hdih su miliatiitho andf; a iliendi ts
basidcu tyt,h es afeotyf i tssu jbects.
ShahW aliulltahhep, r emiSeurn ntih eologainadin n tellectual
ofh isa ger,e amda nym eaninignst hec atastroTphhese e.c urity
thaMtu slimhsa dt akefno rgrantweads o verT.h ed isintegrating
empirwea sb einrge placbeyd p owerfruelg iondayln asttiheast
werel argeHliyn duT.h em osti mportaMnuts lipmr incipality,
Awadhw,a si nt hec ontroofSl h iaas ',d eviasnetct'th acto ulndo t
xii Introduction
bet rustweidt ht hep reservaotfiI osnl aamn,d w how erei nh is
eyeesv ewno rsteh atnh ei nfidNeald.iS rh ahw,h ob rokteh eb ent
backo fM ughalwsa,s a Shia.
ShahW aliulplraohp osaet dh eoorfyd istaanncdet hepr otection
of' Islapmuirci taysh' i sp respctriiofno ra communitthya wta s
threatebnye tdh ec ulturpaolw era ndm ilitamriyg hto ft he
infideWlh.i lhee t hankAeldl afho rk eepitnhgeb looidn h iso wn
vdns' puraen'd ' Arabh'er, e cognitzheadtt h em ajoriotyf I ndian
Muslimwse rec onverftrso mH induistmh;e rwea se normous
cultuorvaelr lianpt heihra biatnsd b ehavioHuerf .e arae dl apse
intHoi ndpur actiacmeosn gI ndiMauns limisnt hea bsenocfet he
religiloeuasd ersthhiahpta db eenp reserbvyepd o litpiocwaelr .
Islacmo ulsdu rviivnIe n dihae,a rgueodn,l iyfM uslimmsa intained
physiciadle,o logaincdae lm otiondails tanfcreo mH induHs.e
urgeMdu slimtsol ivseof afrr omH indutsh atth eWyo ulndo tb e
ablteo s eet hes mokef romt heikirt chens.
ShahW aliuhl'lssae minawryo uld pal vaiyt paalr int thes haping
oft hen ortInhd iaMnu slimmi ndi nt hen ineteecnetnhtu ryw,h en
Britirsuhlm eo vedf roma southeernnc laavned e astecronr netor
dominattheew holoef t hes ubcontiBnreintti.s ho rriuglien ina tes
a minbourt e poch-chanbgaitntgil ne1 757i,n a villacgael led
Plasswehyi,c ehn ded Mughainl trhuerl iec hetsrta dipnrgo vince
oft hec ountBrye,n gaTlh.es tudeonftS sh ahW aliullsaehm'isn ary,
howevewre,r en ots oe asidleyf eatOendeo. f t hemS,a yyAihdm ad
Barelviin,s pirtehdel ongj ihawdh ichb egani n 1825a nd
continuleodn ga ftehri sd eatihn 1 831o, n theb attlefaite ld,
Balakote (at pordianyc,ic peanlt orfet heP akistTaanl iban).
MistruosftH indusf,u ndamenttoat lh et heoroyf d istance,
becamteh ec atechiosfMm u slipmo litwihcesn i ts oughttof ind
itsp lacien t hee mergipnog liotfyB ritirsuhl ei nt hee arly
twenticeetnht uTryh.e v ery fidresmta nmda deb yM uslinmo tables,
whenI ndiarne presentwaatsip orno posiendt hel egislawtausr e,
uniquteh:a Mtu slimssh oulbde e lectoendl byy f ellMouws lims.
Thisw ast he' separealteec torsactheesm'we h icht heB ritish
happielnyd orsiendt loa wA. perceptyiovuen mga n,w how ould
latebre honoureads t hef atheorfP akistraenc,o gnitzheed