FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Britain mulling South Asia map long before Mountbatten arrived

Britain mulling South Asia map long before Mountbatten arrived

I have read Robin Grant’s reply to Prasat Stianrapapong (“Britain not to blame for India, Pakistan partition, Have Your Say, May 7) and could not avoid laughing out loud at Mr Grant’s attempt to single-handedly rewrite a rosy picture of the empire’s single most valuable prize possession.

It is an accepted historical fact that the partition lines were drawn up by the British long before the arrival of Mountbatten, the last Raj of the British Empire. And because of the superiority complex of the empire at the time, how could anyone believe that the empire would heed the desires of the indigenous people?
The partition lines were drawn to thwart efforts of the Russians to gain access to the Indian Ocean and the areas then believed to contain valuable petroleum deposits. It was just another round of the Sykes-Picot accord, a ploy for Britain to continue exerting dominance over the region.
The editors of The Nation should do more by inserting critical fact among opinions that may blatantly go against factual accuracy. No more “fake” history, please. We are already bombarded daily with untruths!
Nattasin Chongsanguan

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