They have not quite freed themselves of the burden of history and inherited models. If you ask them about whether Partition was justified, you still get answers that echo the official ideologies. A majority of Indians reflect the official position of Indian nationalism that Partition was avoidable. A majority of Pakistanis endorse Partition, the very condition of the existence of the state of Pakistan. But if you turn the question around and quiz them on whether the Partition should be annulled, as in the case of Germany, you realise that they have learnt a lot. Indians too have begun to make peace with Partition. Only one-fifth of the urban Indians — obviously much less in urban Pakistan — support the idea of Indo-Pak unification. They are also beginning to realise that the idea of unification does not sound like a friendly gesture to a Pakistani. The idea of two separate but friendly countries has begun to gain ground after two generations.

A similar and painful learning marks their view about the relationship with the other country. On the one hand, a majority is willing to blame the government in the other country and even the people of the other country for the unfriendly relations between India and Pakistan. Indians are keen to assert their proprietary rights over Kashmir. A little reminder of India’s role in the creation of Bangladesh can push the Pakistanis into saying that the two countries can never be friends. The other country and its people as an abstraction are still an apt object of distrust and enmity.

... contd.