WHY has Pakistan become synonymous with terrorism? The vast majority of Pakistanis surely find terrorism as repellent as Indians do. Why then does Pakistan breed an endless flow of suicide missionaries?

Practice has been shaped by theory. A theory of separation created Pakistan in 1947; over time, this has been converted into a culture of hatred by some selfappointed ideologues.

Pakistan emerged out of the notion that Hindus and Muslims could not live together. The threat perception was raised Into the claim that Islam itself.would be obliterated in a Hindu-majority India.The Muslim League's slogan was: "Islam in Danger!”

Neither history nor theology could have sustained such a slogan, but Muslim elites in British India manipulated the incipient ideology of the Muslim League, and fuelled it with incendiary sentiment in order to create a state where they could protect their vested interests. They were not really afraid of "Hindu Raj;" they were terrified of land reform and socialism that the Congress would enforce. It is no accident that there has been no serious land reform in Pakistan. Gandhi's honest faith in Hinduism was maliciously exploited to spread the perfidy that India would never offer an equal place to Muslims.

The idea of Islam being in danger was particularly attractive to a section of the ulemabut not to all of them; the Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, unlike the Jamaat-e-Islami, was very clear-headed about the potential pitfalls and opposed the creation of Pakistan. The pro-partition ulema, however, discovered a unique opportunity for power. If Islam was going be the raison d’etre of the new nation,

MJ. Akbar 6 Chief Editor of She Asian Age.