[AnotherUnixGeek]

When British India became independent in 1947, the country was divided into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan.

One of the worst decisions in a 20th century full of bad nation-making decisions. The world would be a better and safer place today if Pakistan had never been created, and the Muslims currently living there had simply remained a minority in India.

[Jim Noble]

The world would be a better and safer place today if Pakistan had never been created, and the Muslims currently living there had simply remained a minority in India

Bravo!

Consider how much safer and more prosperous Muslims are in India, as opposed to Pakistan.

[FredZarguna]

I'm not sure that this is true. Certainly there should never have been an East Pakistan. It was always a separate country from West Pakistan; millions of people would not have died if "East Pakistan" had simply remained Bengal.

But imagine how much more dangerous the world would be if the Muslim minority had dominated the Hindu majority -- that is not altogether outside of the realm of possibility (and indeed was true of large and varying parts of India for more than 500 years), in which case we would have a dangerous, unstable India with its Muslim leadership constantly starting conflicts all over the world in order to keep its domestic problems contained.

No thanks.

[KarlInOhio]

One of the worst decisions in a 20th century full of bad nation-making decisions. The world would be a better and safer place today if Pakistan had never been created, and the Muslims currently living there had simply remained a minority in India.

Right now Muslims are 172 million of 1,310 million in India. Add to that about 181 of 189 million in Pakistan and 150 of 161 million in Bangladesh. That's a total of 503 million of 1.66 billion. Greater India would be a considerably different country with almost one third of the largest country in the world being Muslim.

[BobL]

“The world would be a better and safer place today if Pakistan had never been created, and the Muslims currently living there had simply remained a minority in India.”

But just imagine the hell that the Indians would have to go through if that had happened. But you are right regarding the rest of the world.

[DJ Taylor]

"The world would be a better and safer place today if Pakistan had never been created, and the Muslims currently living there had simply remained a minority in India."

One look at world history will show you that no country with a diverse population of different races, languages, and religion has long survived. Countries don’t naturally form with a diverse population, and when in the past they’ve occurred it’s usually been as a result of armed conquest, as was India.

These unnaturally formed countries have either melded together into a single population made up of one mixed race with one language and one religion or they’ve come apart, and they’ve usually come apart with extreme violence. The longer these diverse populations were forced to coexist with one another without mixing and becoming one, the more the hatred grew among them and the more violently they broke apart, but break apart they did, or genocide has settled the issue once and for all.

One way or the other, India will either become completely Muslim, or it will become completely Hindu, but there is little possibility of India maintaining the current mixture indefinitely.

[YogicCowboy]

Agreed.

The vaunted Gandhi and Churchill were wrong.