India's Partition was a historical mistake: AIMIM chief

Hyderabad, Oct 16 (PTI) AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said the partition of India should never have happened and called it a 'historical mistake.' Addressing a press conference, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP said historically this was one country and unfortunately it was divided, which should not have happened.

“Historically, this was one country and unfortunately it was divided. It should not have happened. This is what I can say. But if you want, arrange a debate and I will tell you who is responsible for division of this country… I can not give a one line answer for a historical mistake that was committed at that time,” he told reporters.

The AIMIM leader was responding to a query on Samajwadi party leader Swami Prasad Maurya's reported comment that India and Pakistan were created on the demand of Hindu Mahasabha and not because of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

He also suggested reading a book by freedom fighter and India's first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s book ‘India wins Freedom’, and how he went to the Congress leaders then pleading with them not to accept this proposal of partition.

“The partition of this country should not have happened. That was wrong. All the leaders who were there at that time, they were all responsible (for partition). If you read a book by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s book ‘India wins Freedom’, Maulana Azad requested all the Congress leaders then that the country should not be divided,” Owaisi said.

He further claimed that Islamic scholars of that time also opposed the two nation theory. PTI GDK VVK ROH