regardless of how pakistanis eulogise him, jinnah was a secular figure. pakistani muslims who have no idea of real history and geography have a romantic concept of how pakistan was created.
their phenomenally ignorant minds have a simplistic image of the partition: that it was a stay or leave proposition, and the smart ones left for pakistan and fools who didn't believe jinnah's foresight stayed back and (in undertone: see how it turned out?)
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take a look at this map:
View attachment 7510
pakistan was originally east and west pakistan. and after the indo-pak war in 1971, east-pakistan became today's bangladesh.
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look at this map from 1909:
View attachment 7511
5-10 percent of population, even back then would be in millions.
the above image is to give you an idea that muslims were living everywhere in india.
to cite figures, in the first census after independence which was conducted in india and pakistan (separately), these were the figures:
number of muslims in both east and west pakistan:
75.7 million
number of muslims in west pakistan (today's pakistan):
33.7 million and in east pakistan (today's bangladesh)
42 million.
and the number of 'foolish' muslims who 'chose' to stay back in india were:
35.4 million
see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Pakistan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Census_of_India
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if you look at the above map, it is clear that muslims of today's pakistan stayed where they were (a majority) and those their descendants chide for not 'moving' to pakistan were not only a minority in places where they lived (hence would not have a
SOUTH pakistan for example) nor was it logistically possible for them to 'migrate' to what became pakistan.
those who migrated, the 'muhajirs' didn't have a swell time either in the 'islamic' republic of pakistan, but that is separate argument.
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the question these genuises who laud the foresight of jinnah should be asked is: what was the plan for the nearly 35 million muslims spread all over india?
now chaudhury rahmat ali's original map of pakistan was like this:
View attachment 7512
this was much more practical - because muslims could 'move' to muslim-majority provinces all over the country without a contiguous land for the hindus, muslims would evnetually grow organically and keep them in check.
here is another map at the time of partition:
View attachment 7513
this is a map that shows the radcliffe line:
View attachment 7514
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indian muslims ARE paying the price for the 'freedom' enjoyed by muslims in pakistan and bangladesh.
if one could put that in a similar simplistic sentence:
today's pakistan and bangladesh were created by sacrificing the muslims who stayed back in india. it was a bargain. those in muslim-majority provinces created a homeland for themselves and left the minorities to fend for themselves.
it is therefore maulanas and ulama from punjab talk of the Divine Interference and how pakistan was created by the blessings of RasulAllah sallALlahu alayhi wa sallam etc. as if RasulAllah sallALlahu alayhi wa sallam was concerned only about the muslims in the punjab-sindh-balochistan provinces and did not care for those who lived in other places (al-iyadhu billah).
and to this day, indian muslims stand alone. no one really supports us - and even though it may sound odd coming from me, it is only imran khan who has raised this issue about indian muslims. in the past, pakistanis spoke ONLY of kashmir (mostly because of the partitioned land and is contiguous with pakistani territory).
the big maulanas and the pir-zadahs and the fiery speakers who talk of khwaja or nizamuddin or even alahazrat, willfully ignore the fact that if some muslims had not stayed back in india (they had no other choice) - these maqams and graveyards and madaris would be obliterated.
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i agree that there is no point wailing over mistakes done 75 years ago - these are issues which we didn't have control, nor our forefathers, nor did muslims of that time could foresee this.
at the expense of indian muslims. don't you forget that. you can brag about this because the ship sailed leaving those who couldn't go.
have you ever thought what would have happened if there was no partition?
hypothetically, ignoring all other factors and going by sheer numbers, we would be: about 566 million compared to 982 million hindus (966m indian + 4m pakistan +12m bangladesh). that would be about 1:2.
but hindus are counted as one demographic mostly to counter muslims - because hindus are actually divided into classes (varnas) and they certainly have no unity, with such a heavy counter-balance of muslims, we could ally with those, whom 'caste' hindus deem as lower castes (
dalits) and thus become equal to those who identify as 'caste hindus'.
there can be many 'what-if's. but the truth is that indian muslims stand alone, much like the kingdom of gondor bearing the brunt for its proximity with mordor.
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nas'alu Allah al-aafiyah.