The commonly held perception (or how the story goes), is that ‘India’ was ‘partitioned’ in 1947.

That perception, that story, is incorrect, a myth.

Based on years of research, the case is made that 'India' had never been an identifiable geographical or political entity. Incontrovertible evidence shows that even the British themselves believed this area had never been a single 'country'. And so it would be impossible to partition ‘India’ in 1947, because it never existed. The more correct name for this area would be 'South Asia'. 

Shahzad Irshad explains how institutions that were set up to manage their interests during the British Raj helped establish the perception, or ‘myth’, of ‘India’ or ‘British India’, as one entity. The reality of what happened in South Asia in 1947 was that TWO COUNTRIES WERE CREATED, India and Pakistan, but the key players at the time – Nehru, Jinnah, Patel, Khan, Mountbatten and others – for many reasons – portrayed this CREATION as 'Partition'.

Furthermore, Irshad shows that none of the political giants involved at that time were without sin; Mountbatten's inclinations, as well as his decision to end the ‘British Raj’ earlier than planned, were flawed - insufficient time was given, firstly, to careful consideration of the consequences of 'allocating' individual states, and secondly, to organising the resources required to, impartially and safely, establish two countries. This left a dark legacy with far-reaching, negative consequences: a population migration and intercommunal violence as never before seen, intergenerational animosity, and Afghanistan being dragged into the perilous mix.

Irshad hopes this research and analysis may lead to a better understanding of South Asian history. He also proposes that the terminology around this subject should be slightly amended as a small step along the path towards better relations between India and Pakistan, although the latter is more of a wish.