Memories of the past

This refers to the article ‘Still stuck in 1947’ (February 24) by Babar Satter. I agree with the writer. My family came to Pakistan when I was 15 years old, and during my journey I had the same feelings as his aunt had. Luckily, we did not face grave dangers as were faced by her family. It is true that we lived happily with the Hindus and the Sikhs, just like we lived with our own families, in pre-Partition India. Every man in the neighbourhood was called ‘chacha ji’; women ‘masee ji’. We were together in times of pain and happiness. I also agree with the view of the taxi driver in Delhi (as narrated by the writer). The question as to what advantage Pakistan has to Indian Muslims is exactly what my Indian friends asked at the Convention of the Federation of Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Associations of America held in Cleveland, Ohio in 2007. My answer to all of them was that a strong Pakistan would be a big support for Indian Muslims.

Shahabuddin Khan

Islamabad