February 7, 2004

The British traders were interested in having trade relations with the traders of undivided India. They came to the subcontinent during the 17th century and established East India Company, which eventually had its offices in the then most important coastal cities such as Calcutta (Kolkata), Madras (Chennai), Bombay (Mumbai). With the passage of time, East India Company became a political force. The war fought and won at Plessey in 1757 by the British with Nawab Sirajuddaulah was an encouragement to gain a foothold in India. During the year 1857, an attempt was made to overthrow the British control, but was crushed ruthlessly with the connivance of collaborators. However, after one year, in 1858, the subcontinent became a part of the British Crown and the Muslim era of control over India ended. Eventually the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was exiled to Burma (Myanmar).

Study the map of British India and observe the earlier provincial names and provincial boundaries during the British rule, prior to 1947. Discuss the circumstances how the British managed to conquer Indo-Pakistan subcontinent without having their own sufficient British army.

Initially, the British were facing a lot of difficulty in ruling the large Indian territory with poor transport and communication systems. However, with the passage of time, they paid more attention to developing the basic infrastructure of railroad transportation and telecommunication systems. This was the key development to hold control on the subcontinent for around two centuries. Their technology and efforts allowed their forces to reach the remotest corner of the newly gained territories in the shortest possible time to establish their authority.

Discuss why railroad transportation and telecommunication systems were the key to hold control over Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

The Muslims lost the Indian Empire to the British. Further, misunderstandings between the Muslims and the British widened to the extent that the element of distrust played a dominant role which went in favour of the Hindus, who became the favourite of the British. The Muslims started hating all the moves made by the British. On the contrary, Hindu retaliations to British moves in India were of less intensity. In 1835, the British introduced English language and western education systems replacing Persian which was an official language of the Muslim administration. During this period, the Islamic Code gave way to British Jurisprudence in the shape of Indian Civil and Criminal Procedure and Penal Codes.

Initially, the Muslims could not accept this move and failed to adjust to the new prevailing circumstances. However, in the new development the Hindus became the allies of the British and took advantages at the cost of the Muslims from the British. Further, the Muslim employees were thrown out of the jobs as a revenge for non-cooperation. The Hindus succeeded in gaining partial control over the government machinery. With the passage of time, the control over business and agriculture also went in the hands of the Hindus. The Muslims, who were once the rulers of India, were now living in a miserable condition.

It was then that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a retired judge came forward and pleaded to the Muslims not to remain aloof, but to accept the realities and gain confidence of the British. It was he, who gave a call to learn English and accept the western education system to match the prevailing realities. It was in 1875 that Aligarh Muslim University was established. Do you know what was the objective of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and why did he want the Muslims of the subcontinent to learn English and western education.

The Muslim leadership started showing signs of accepting the realities that the Muslims of India had to fight on two different fronts. First, to face the invading British rule and secondly, to defend their interest against the organized movements of the Hindus under the cover of Indian National Congress. Why did the Muslim leadership take so much time to understand the movement against the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent during the British rule and of Indian National Congress?

The Muslims ruled for about 700 years over the sub-continent prior to the British conquest. However, the non-Muslim population of the region used to worship great natural phenomena like the sun, moon, fire, river, wind, rainstorm, etc. Nevertheless, they also believed in the supreme power of God Almighty. However, this enlightenment travelled from Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian States to provide knowledge about the oneness of God, spread by the Muslim scholars. However, the devastation of Khorasan and western Iran compelled pious, learned and noble families to migrate to the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. In this respect, the great scholars like Bahuddin Zakiria, Pir Shamas Tabriaz, Qazi Qutubuddin, Khawaja Qutubuddin Bukhtiar Kaki, Baba Farid Shakar Gunj, and Data Gunj Bukhash are venerable names that contributed greatly to the spread of the concept of oneness of God and Islam in this region. Today, a large number of the devotees pay homage to them round the year at their tombs and shrines. Discuss the contribution of the learned scholars in the spread of Islam.

It is important to know that until 1937 Myanmar (Burma) was part of the British Empire. It remained a separate country of the British Commonwealth until 1947. However, during the Second World War in the year 1941-42 the Japanese forces invaded it, after which it remained in their occupation for some time. However, in 1948, it became an independent republic. The Japanese forces were near the eastern borders of British India during the Second World War but were not in a position to launch a full-fledged attack on British India. Why couldn’t the Japanese invade British India during the Second World War? Discuss. Fortune Geographic Society, Pakistan

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