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Critical Review of India Pakistan Partition Documentary

Muhammad Aahad 18637

IBA University

Pakistan History

March 3, 2021
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India Pakistan Partition Documentary by BBC is the documentary about the event leading up to
the partition and what exactly happened in different region of India. In the documentary the
reporter interviews different survivors of India Pakistan partition both Muslim and Hindu about
what they went through during the partition and some British people who were there at the
moment of partition. Even though the documentary tries to remain faithful it is ultimately biased
toward British.

Indian National Congress and Muslim League were the two great political party of that time both
fighting for what they believed to be right INC led by Jawaharlal Nehru wanted a single state
where both Hindu and Muslim can live peacefully whereas Muslims fear living under a Hindu
majority. There were just too much of a difference between Hindu and Muslim both racially and
religious to able to live in one country and Such religious differences also translated into sharp
social differences. Despite being neighbors, they refrained from eating or studying together.
Even separate waters were allocated to the Hindus and Muslims while travelling. So, in respect
to these differences Muslim League Leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah demanded a separate state for
muslims.

The revolt of 1857 was the start of British tyrannical rule this is when they decided to employ
their divide and rule (Divide et impera) strategy Caesar used the technique in his conquest of
Gaul and British later adapted this strategy because of their undying need to model themselves
after Rome. This strategy caused a great division between Hindu and muslims both socially and
spiritually one example of this strategy would be the turning of Bhagavad Gita, a little-known
scripture only followed by a few Brahmins into the Hinduism equivalent of Bible Since most
Hindus did not identify with the rules and beliefs laid out in the Gita, an impression was created
that Hinduism was a fallen religion that needed to be restored to a former greatness. Blame for
this degeneration was laid with the Muslims, who the British modelled as tyrannical interlopers. 

That is why the line “In 1946 British India was largely at peace” should not be even in the
documentary in any sense. Because by that time India had been sitting on a bed of gunpowder of
communal violence thanks to British government and all of that exploded on the day of August
16th, 1946. What had started as a protest rally had turned into a bloodbath which led to the death
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of countless Indian, Muslims and Sikh. Meanwhile this was also the time when British
government decided to pull out of the Indian mainly due to the fact they were struggling to deal
with the aftermath of WW2 and the victory of Labor Party in British election which was in the
huge favor of immediate independence of India.

Hence while this documentary is informal it is not accurate it does not discuss many key points
about the partition and represent British government as some sort of savior who were doing
everything in their power to help Indian and Muslims. That is why we should not make up our
point of view about the partition after watching only this documentary and look for other
resources and only then come to a conclusion.