At a book launch event on Saturday, veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar offered a thought-provoking and emotional reflection on the Pahalgam terror attack, linking the tragedy — in which 26 Indian tourists were killed — to the deep, unresolved questions born out of the Partition of India and the aftermath of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Aiyar asked whether the horror witnessed in Pahalgam was a grim reminder that the wounds from Partition remain unhealed even after more than seven decades. He emphasized that despite the efforts of leaders like Gandhi and Nehru to avoid Partition, it ultimately stemmed from "differences in value systems and assessments of India's nationhood and civilizational inheritance" between them and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This divergence, he said, continues to cast a shadow over India’s present, particularly in terms of how Muslims are perceived and treated within the country.
Reflecting on the period following the 1971 war, which led to the birth of Bangladesh, Aiyar remarked that Pakistan's original vision of itself as the "protector of Muslims across the subcontinent" effectively collapsed after its defeat and the secession of East Pakistan. He underlined that identity is far more layered and multidimensional than mere religious affiliation — a nuance Pakistan failed to appreciate, leading to its historic rupture.
Turning his focus sharply on today's India, Aiyar posed a searing question: whether Indian Muslims feel truly "accepted, cherished, and celebrated" within the country’s social and political fabric. He warned against reducing Indian identity to just the "religious dimension of Hinduism," and challenged the nation to introspect about the reality Muslims face today. "Ask any Muslim," he said, insisting that the answers to his questions would not need his interpretation — they would be plain to hear.
Aiyar’s remarks come at a time when India has announced severe countermeasures against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack. These include suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, revoking visas issued to Pakistani nationals, and immediately halting trade ties. In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights, and Minister Hanif Abbasi issued an ominous threat of "full-scale war" if the Indus treaty suspension is not reversed.
As tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors mount dangerously, Aiyar’s call for reflection on India's foundational values — and the need for inclusive nationhood — stands in stark contrast to the hardening rhetoric on both sides.
