Jaswant Singh (1938–2020)

To the average person from the sub-continent, Jinnah is either the arch-villain of Partition, or the hero of Muslim emancipation from an intolerable state of subjection, depending on which side of the border he comes from. It is therefore refreshing to see this account from a leading Indian member of the Indian establishment, from a relatively objective view-point that takes into account the political equations of the age, the personalities of the proponents, and the pressures that propelled them to the final desperate act of Partition that has created so much bitterness and left over so much unfinished agenda. The author surely took a risk by equating Jinnah and Gandhi as the two greatest leaders of India during the decades prior to Independence and Partition; and no doubt he had to pay a price politically and personally for this temerity. The book is marred a little by occasional idiosyncrasies in the language, poor punctuation, and by a certain lack of structure, too much going forward and backward (the author often catches himself when he realizes that he has outrun the chronology of events, and quickly tracks back). Fortunately, once he gets into the stride of his narrative, he offers a smooth and absorbing story with many fresh approaches and insights. The final chapter, a 'Retrospect', falls somewhat short, as it appears to be an exercise in pinning blame mainly on Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress. After all, the Radcliffe boundary by itself has not been in dispute; it is instructive that seventy years later, we are still blaming the British, but have not got down to settling our remaining boundary disputes using our own diplomatic skills and intellectual abilities. By repeating that Partition "happened" to us, we only reinforce our sense of victimhood and perpetuate the problem, rather than taking responsibility to face up to reality and find a solution ourselves.… (meer)

This is an extremely good book. It starts with an excellent question - why were the invasions of the Turks, Afghans etc called Muslim invasions and not territorial invasions. This is clearly indicative of the bias that has pervaded much of Indian history through the last decades.

Jaswant Singh proceeds in a gentle manner, clearly unfolding the events of the times. He clearly explains how Jinnah moved from being a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity and nationhood to a champion of Pakistan. The roles that the great Indian politicians played in causing the division of India into India and Pakistan has been clearly explained. It is a sorry tale, where the actions of a few men caused such divisions and large scale displacement.
The book is meticulously researched, balanced and well written.
This is an honest book, and one that deserves the highest praise.… (meer)