Need perspective!
I was reading this recent article from 'The Dawn' on why the corporate sector lags behind in Pakistan. This article is extremely crisp and compares certain aspects of the economy in Pakistan with India. I want to draw attention not to the economic aspects but to a statement which I am quoting here from the article.
' The swadeshi (self-sufficiency) movement was integral to India’s independence struggle. It protected indigenous industries, helped them grow organically and created pride in the “made in India” label. '
I always thought that We (India & Pakistan) had an independence struggle. It never crossed my mind that India had a separate Independence struggle and Pakistan had one of their own?
I am not cynical here, but can someone (possibily from the other side of the fence) give me the perspective that I am missing ?
4 comments:
By the independence movement of pakistan, the author means the "pakistan movement" started by the muslim league. One has to remember that the Indian National Congress (INC) fought for a secular india, while the muslim league wanted a seperate homeland for the muslims. The character of the people involved and the support base was very different for the two organizations. The main thrust and support for the pakistan movement came from musim landlords in what is pakistan today, who were against the socialist principles of the INC. One has to remember that even fundamentalist muslim organizations were pro india and not pro pakistan....I believe this is what the article is trying to explain.
Bobby:
Thanks for stopping by and responding.
I am not trying to read too much into those words, but given the context of 'swadeshi, made in India, independence' that the author talks about, I am not so sure that he means the creation of Pakistan movement. He probably does imply that Indians had a movement for independence and we relate little to it.
It is not my jingoistic self that makes me believe this, but I am not able to see any other logical meanings behind this statement.
I think the context of the article is economic. The point he is making is that the INC which largely shaped india in the formative years after independence was a socialist organization, and had programs like the swadesi movement, etc... while the Muslim league which dominated pakistani policies immediately after independece had a largely feudal support base. This is the jist i think, and i think he is largely right about it.
Fair enough. I tend to agree with you on the economic context. And the author is guess is right about it. But I hope this is purely economic thinking :)
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