Sami's Reviews > The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan
The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan
by
by
Indus Saga is a mammoth yet accessible read. The central thesis presented is that the modern-day Pakistan is distinct from mainland India in its culture, history, linguistic, and socioeconomic structure. Mr. Aitezaz argues that the Indus River forms a kind of rigid geographical boundary, separating a region historically more aligned with Central Asia than with the rest of India. Thus making the case for two lands, two peoples, and ultimately, two states.
The book is divided into three sections. 1) Prehistory, offering historical case studies from the Greek invasions through to the Arab conquests and the Sultanates. Mr. Aitezaz suggests a historical unity between the Oxus and Indus regions, framing the divide as longstanding. 2) section focuses on the British colonial period, explaining the decline of the Mughals and the rise of elite capture and exploitative systems under British rule. 3) The pre-partition era, from the Battle of Plassey to the 1946 elections - this 190-year period eradicated communal coexistence and made Partition "natural and primordial" and coming ''into a full circle.''
Personally, I’m don't fully buy into the main thesis. While the Marxist framework he uses is insightful, some of his claims feel overly sweeping and deterministic. The notion of a distinct, primordial divide between the Indus and India doesn’t fully hold up, and the argument sometimes feels too ideologically driven, cherry-picking historical examples to support a presupposed conclusion. The idea of a monolithic Indus identity, destined to separate, overlooks the region's complex; evolving nature and the diffusion of cultures over time.
Moreover, Ahsan’s reliance on the outdated Aryan invasion theory, which modern scholarship has largely moved away from in favor of migration theory, weakens his argument. His Marxist lens becomes repetitive and overbearing at times. The book also presents the Indus region as a homogenous entity, which oversimplifies the diverse historical realities.
Finally, the significance of the Gurdaspur Kathiawar salient is not adequately corroborated - as to why give it such an importance? Thus, leaving an important part of the thesis underdeveloped. And if the partition was primordial and destined in a full circle, why mass displacements, confusion, and chaotic and bloody events accompanied partition?
Overall, Indus Saga is a provocative and bold work, as in the words of Khushwant Singh, but it raises as many questions as it answers, leaving gaps while oversimplifying the complexity of history.
The book is divided into three sections. 1) Prehistory, offering historical case studies from the Greek invasions through to the Arab conquests and the Sultanates. Mr. Aitezaz suggests a historical unity between the Oxus and Indus regions, framing the divide as longstanding. 2) section focuses on the British colonial period, explaining the decline of the Mughals and the rise of elite capture and exploitative systems under British rule. 3) The pre-partition era, from the Battle of Plassey to the 1946 elections - this 190-year period eradicated communal coexistence and made Partition "natural and primordial" and coming ''into a full circle.''
Personally, I’m don't fully buy into the main thesis. While the Marxist framework he uses is insightful, some of his claims feel overly sweeping and deterministic. The notion of a distinct, primordial divide between the Indus and India doesn’t fully hold up, and the argument sometimes feels too ideologically driven, cherry-picking historical examples to support a presupposed conclusion. The idea of a monolithic Indus identity, destined to separate, overlooks the region's complex; evolving nature and the diffusion of cultures over time.
Moreover, Ahsan’s reliance on the outdated Aryan invasion theory, which modern scholarship has largely moved away from in favor of migration theory, weakens his argument. His Marxist lens becomes repetitive and overbearing at times. The book also presents the Indus region as a homogenous entity, which oversimplifies the diverse historical realities.
Finally, the significance of the Gurdaspur Kathiawar salient is not adequately corroborated - as to why give it such an importance? Thus, leaving an important part of the thesis underdeveloped. And if the partition was primordial and destined in a full circle, why mass displacements, confusion, and chaotic and bloody events accompanied partition?
Overall, Indus Saga is a provocative and bold work, as in the words of Khushwant Singh, but it raises as many questions as it answers, leaving gaps while oversimplifying the complexity of history.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Started Reading
November, 2024
–
Finished Reading
November 12, 2024
– Shelved
Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)
date
newest »
message 1:
by
Rural Soul
(new)
Nov 13, 2024 07:59AM
Interesting thing is that this book was scarce in market and I had tons of copies in my office and only one asked for it.
reply
|
flag