Was partition worth it?
As India and Pakistan celebrate independence, we revisit the partition of the subcontinent.
Sixty-three years after independence, India and Pakistan stand at a crucial juncture in their history. While India’s economy has grown exponentially, it is still struggling with grinding poverty, a slew of internal separatist movements and a growing leftist insurgency.
For its part, Pakistan is dealing with Islamic extremists, an unstable political system, corruption and poor economic management.
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Both nations have also fought three wars – two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir – and are perennially hovering on the brink of another conflict.
On Monday’s Riz Khan we ask: How has the partition of India affected the subcontinent and – in retrospect – was it a good idea?
Talking about this will be well-known Pakistani journalist and commentator Najam Sethi who received death threats from the Taliban for his outspoken criticism of Islamic extremism, and Ashis Nandy, one of India’s foremost thinkers who witnessed the horrors of the partition as a child and writes extensively about it.
You can join the conversation. Call in with your questions and comments on Monday, August 16, at our live time of 1630GMT. Repeats air at 2130GMT, and the next day at 0230GMT and 1130GMT.