Let’s dream a dream. Is it possible—even in a dream—that in the future a confederation or federation might emerge between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh?
At present, circumstances do not testify to the likelihood of such a confederation or federation taking shape among these three nations in the near future. There were many bridges of shared heritage and partnership, but our own governments and our own people dismantled them. Yet the ruins and traces of those shared bridges still remain.
Let us at least take a look at those common bridges. The “Lav Temple” inside the Lahore Fort stands as testimony to the belief that the city was founded by Lav, the elder son of Lord Rama. The government of Pakistan, along with its historians and archaeologists, acknowledge that Lahore was founded by Maharaja Lav, and that Kasur was established by his younger brother Kush.
The first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, was born at Nankana Sahib in present-day Pakistan, and the place where he merged with the eternal light—Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur—is also located in Pakistan.
Our martyr Bhagat Singh was born in what is now Pakistan, and he, along with his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru, embraced the gallows in Lahore Central Jail. The list is long. At every step, the pages of history testify to a shared heritage—whether through Katas Raj, the Sun Temple of Multan, shared folktales, stories, songs, and literary traditions. Even in the last century, great personalities such as Sir Ganga Ram, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, and Lala Lajpat Rai—along with institutions like Gulab Devi Hospital—stand as living symbols of shared legacy.
Whenever names like Saadat Hasan Manto, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Amrita Pritam, Sahir Ludhianvi, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Reshma, and Mehdi Hassan are mentioned, that shared heritage stirs once more. Today, discussions about Rakhigarhi, along with the archaeological heritage of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, ancient Taxila, and the great grammarian Panini, all serve as reminders of common bridges.
Yet it is also true that history has no reverse gear. While returning to an old form may be impossible, perhaps new shared bridges or substations can still be built. Among those who supported such an idea were Lal Krishna Advani and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, in Pakistan, military establishments and institutions like the ISI thwarted such efforts. Sincere initiatives like the Sada-e-Sarhad bus service and the Samjhauta Express also failed. Earlier too, leaders such as H.V. Kamath, Ram Manohar Lohia, and J. B. Kripalani had made attempts in this direction. Cricket, hockey, and literary festivals have also played significant roles.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh—the land once famous for “Dhaka muslin”—became a separate nation. There was a time when Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Faiz, Manto, Qurratulain Hyder, Amrita Pritam, Sahir, and Ismat Chughtai were all part of one pre-1947 country. In 1947, the country was divided on the basis of religion, and in 1971, Pakistan itself split into two—but the second division was not on religious grounds; it was based on language. Bangladesh emerged from tensions between Bengali and Punjabi linguistic regions. Even today, fragmentation tendencies persist within Pakistan, with unrest in Balochistan and among Pashtuns.
Terrorist organizations have, at times, run parallel administrations in places like Lahore, Bahawalpur, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Among the three nations, India is relatively stronger in terms of development, reconstruction, and economy. Yet linguistic, communal, and religious uniformity may still require decades. It is certain that India will remain one nation, though internal tensions may continue for some time. Within the present framework, there appears to be no viable alternative.
Across the subcontinent, sooner or later, the need for a confederation or federation may be felt intensely. The first steps in that direction may emerge through literature, archaeology, cricket, and hockey. Perhaps the shehnai of Bismillah Khan, the voice of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, the classical renditions of Omkar Nath Thakur and Kishori Amonkar, will pave the way. How long can the shared cultural fragrance of Lata Mangeshkar, Noor Jehan, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Abida Parveen, and Reshma be suppressed?
Without Lav and Kush, the Ramayana is incomplete. Likewise, the shared musical confluence of Ravi Shankar and A. R. Rahman is deeply woven into the earthy fragrance of this land.
