Jaswant Singh, Jinnah and Pakistan

Jaswant Singh has written a book on Jinnah for which he sacrificed his political career. People, who will read the book may change their views on Jinnah or they not but that is not important. What is important is what book implies and it not about the placing of the blame of partition on any individual which will be the book's legacy.

Jaswant Singh has started a debate in India on the personality of Jinnah and may even force a re-think of Jinnah as a person; as a politican; as a leader and as an Indian. Jaswant Singh's book has started a debate in India over the personality of Jinnah, with "warts and all".

What is trully remarkable of Jaswant Singh's book is that it has made India re-evaluate Jinnah. The question that emerges, from Jaswant Singh's book is not if India will stop to demonize Jinnah or not, but rather has any Pakistani politican/author/historican the courage to re-evaluate Jinnah, as done by Jaswant Singh, in entire spectrum of his personality that challenges the basic views of Pakistani society on Jinnah himself?

Kudos to the Indians and to India to start a much needed debate on Jinnah and to make efforts to understand him and his politics; a job that should have been done in Pakistan and not India.

Regardless of the future consequences of this book or its effects, one thing is clear and that is which nation, India or Pakistan, has the courage to challenge the comfort of history and their own place in that history.