Partition & Convergence

About the Book

The South Asian nation and its states have been located in the period of the coming of European traders, British imperial rule, post-colonial states, and the cold war period - and projected in the 21st Century. Such questions are discussed as to - Why European/British were able to entrench themselves in India. - How British rule consolidated Indian nationhood - What factors led to the partition in 1947. Also reviewed: - India’s democracy and non-alignment with respect to Pakistan becoming an aligned state of martial rule and the breeding ground for fundamentalism. - The phenomenon of guided/controlled democracies. - The emergence of Bangladesh and the possibility of convergence of South Asian States by the formation of SAARC. The book focuses on such relevant issues as the British role in the gestation of Indian nationhood. - Why India took the Kashmir issue to the UN in 1948 while now it insists on bilateralism. - Why did the USSR not veto the anti-North Korean resolution in the UN Security Council? The post-imperialist world and the cold war era are seen in a new perspective. - It is questioned whether the cold war was necessary? Capital is seen as conserved expended labor which is complimentary to living labor. Neither can eliminate the other. - Capitalism is a misnomer for the complex industrial society. - It has been shown that whereas capitalism / industrialism historically followed feudalism, working class states are midwife-ing capitalism and democracy. It has been shown that the dissatisfied middle class will move either towards radicalism or fundamentalism. The book locates the Indian sub-continent and its problems in a broad evolving international scenario and explores its possibilities in the age of globalization and the 21st century.

About the Author

Born in Allah bad, India, 1933. Did Masters in English Literature in 1954 from University of Karachi, Pakistan. Served as Professor of English literature in Pakistani colleges for about 30 years. Retired from Urdu Science College, Karachi, as the Head of English Department, 1986. Was associated with the Department of English, Karachi University, 1993-96. Apart from political pamphlets, articles in newspapers on political literature including ‘The mass uprising in World Marxist Review in 1970, wrote a booklet on ideological struggles in Communist Party of Pakistan in 1985 and ‘Inside Pakistan’ published by Patriot Publishers, New Delhi in 1986. Quit Leftist politics in 1990. At present working as Chairman, Forum for Democracy in Pakistan, since 1999. He has re-interpreted Indian political history starting with British rule in India and surveying the emergence of many states, their development and also their coming closer through forums as SAARC and their prospects for the future.