The Man Who Divided India  (English, Paperback, Zakaria Rafiq)

Even after the lapse of over fifty years, the question of how and why India was divided remains unresolved; various theories are propounded; not all historians are agreed. Some blame Gandhi and the Congress for not having been realistic enough to settle the Hindu-Muslim dispute amicably; others hold the Muslim league guilty for vitiating the atmosphere by its pernicious Two-Nation theory and taking the hostility between them to a breaking point. The British no doubt played their divisive role and all through kept the two communities apart.

Nevertheless, there is unanimity that, irrespective of the causes, it was Jinnah who finally brought about the division; Nehru and Patel failed to resist him. Why did Jinnah do it? What was his motive? He galvanised the Muslims to take the separatist path in the name of Islam. He convinced them, that unless and until they separated themselves from the Hindus, they would forever be under the latters subjugation. Why did he do this? Did he do it because of his love for Islam? Was it indeed to free the Muslims from Hindu domination? Although he got Pakistan, he put two-thirds of the Muslims permanently under the Hindus.

Then, was it his ego which drove him to carve out an independent kingdom for himself? The celebrated author of international repute, Dr. Rafiq Zakaria, traces the chequered career of Jinnah from his birth to death, probes every aspect of his political life, and gives a lucid and penetrating insight into his relentless pursuit of power which eventually resulted in the division of India and the bloody and disastrous aftermath that followed in its wake and which has continued to destabilise South Asia ever since.

About the Author
Dr. Rafiq Zakaria has had a distinguished career in fields as varied as law, education, jounalism, politics and islamic studies. He is Chancellor's gold medallist of the Bombay University and Ph.D with distinction fron London University. He was called to the Bar from Lincolns Inn. From his student days he was active in the freedom struggle, both at home and abroad. After a succesful legal career her served as a cabinet minister in Maharashtra for fifteen years. In 1978 he became deputy leader of the ruling Congress Party in Parliament.

He has held important assignments including that of Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Muslim world in 1984. He has thrice represented India at the U.N. in 1965, 1990 and 1996. Dr. Zakaria is a scholar of international repute. He has authored more then fifteen books, including 'A Study of Nehru'. His rejoinder to Salman Rushdie, entitled 'Muhammad and the Quran', published by Penguin International has become a world classic. His other books deal with Indian politics and the history and the jurisprudence of Islam. He has also authored two novels - one historical and the other political. Two of his books 'Price of Partition and Gandhi' and the 'Break-up of India', received rave reviews. His monumental work 'Discovery of God' has brought him the highest laurels from all over the world. An eminent educationist, he has founded a dozen educational institutions of higher learning in Mumbai and Aurangabad. He has chaired several important Government of India committees and has been a member of the National Integration Council. He has been passionately involved in the promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity and has delivered prestigious memorial lectures at various universities.