Almost simultaneously, two neighboring states in South Asia - Pakistan (August 14) and India (August 15) – will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their independence the other day.
These states emerged in mid-August 1947 according to the plan of the Viceroy of British India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, as a result of its division into the Indian Union and the Dominion of Pakistan.
It must be admitted that the history of the formation of Pakistani and Indian statehood since independence, same as the development of bilateral relations, is full of dramatic events, including military clashes. In their book "Freedom at Midnight" dedicated to these events, its authors, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, citing various sources, give figures from 250 thousand to 2 million people who died as a result of interethnic clashes in August-September 1947....
By the way, the administrative-territorial division of the newly created states was handled by a British cartographer engineer who had never been to India before…
At the same time, it should be noted that the progressive ideas of the founding fathers of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and India - Jawaharlal Nehru (the five principles of peaceful coexistence) and Mahatma Gandhi (the theory of nonviolent resistance) have not lost their relevance over 75 years, are embedded in the foundation of modern nation states and help overcome problematic moments in bilateral relations.
BISR heartily congratulates our Pakistani and Indian partners and friends, and the peoples of these countries, on the jubilee Independence Day, and from the bottom of the heart wishes peace, goodness and prosperity. We have no doubt that the traditional wisdom inherent in the East will eventually help Pakistan and India overcome their differences and celebrate the centenary of independence as befits good neighbors!