2017- Harvard Seminar on the Partition of British India

From February - March, 2017, Harvard South Asia Institute (SAI) in the US is holding a weekly seminar series
focusing on the 1947 partition of British India. I extend my heartiest congratulations to the said Institute, the organizers,
and the ones who would be participating in the discussion/proceedings.
This is a subject that is very important to me from various perspectives, as my grandfather,
Allama Mashriqi, opposed the partition of India. Mashriqi felt that partition would bring
grave consequences to the region, which turned out to be true. In my books and articles, I
have presented Mashriqis standpoint on the division of India and his role in the freedom
movement. I have also digitized files of Mashriqis Al-Islah newspaper (available online),
which he launched in 1934, so that Mashriqis ideology and struggle for freedom can be
understood. A majority of Mashriqi and the Khaksar Tehriks published works (from
1930-1947) were confiscated during the freedom movement of British India and after
partition. Pakistan, India, and the U.K. should declassify them. In addition, it is also
important to make other anti-partition leaders papers easily obtainable in research
libraries for the consumption of academics, researchers, and others.
Currently, the manner in which the freedom movement and the partition of India is
presented ends up encouraging terrorism and hate between Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs,
Christians, and people from other faiths. It is important that prominent publishers
(including academic publishers) also print books about the leaders who supported unity
between Muslims and non-Muslims and were against partition. This is essential for presenting an unbiased history and
important for bringing peace and brotherhood among all races (regardless of religion) in the Indian sub-continent and
elsewhere.
- Nasim Yousaf, January 29, 2017 (Image Credit: Harvard South Asia Institute)