India and Pakistan has no choice but to pursue the Path of Peace to alleviate Poverty

By: Khalid Hashmani

Washington DC – March 29, 2010: Jaswant Singh, an eight-term member of Indian Parliament and a former Finance and External Affairs Minister of India discussed his recent controversial 637-page book “Jinnah: India – Partition – Independence” at School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC. The event was one of rare occurrence as a large number of Indians and Pakistanis attended the same event. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a SAIS resident Pakistan Teaching Fellow provided a review of Jaswant Singh’s book from the perspective of a Pakistani analyst.

Mr. Jaswant Singh

Talking about himself, Mr. Jaswant Singh said that he comes from the Indian state that is adjacent to Sindh meaning Rajasthan. He said that what fascinated him about Jinnah was how an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity became the ‘sole spokesman’ of Muslims in India within a span of few years. Other key take-aways and memorable statements from this discussion are as follows:

1. Like Sindh, Rajasthan too did not suffer loss of lives and blood-shed due to partition. Both Muslims and Hindus lived and continue to live amicably in his home province.

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