No More War: A Reflection on India & Pakistan, and the Need for Healing

I know I’m a bit late to the conversation, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the recent tensions between India and Pakistan. This isn’t a political analysis or a deep dive into policies — just my two pence on something that has weighed heavily on my heart.

There’s a saying that goes, “India is my mother and Pakistan is my father.” It’s a reminder that we were once one — not just politically, but culturally, linguistically, emotionally. Before borders were drawn in blood, we were neighbours, classmates, friends, and family.

I want to say clearly: I am anti-war. Always have been and always will be. I don’t believe in nationalism that denies our shared humanity. I believe the only border that truly matters is the one between cruelty and compassion.

My great-grandmother’s story is proof of what once was — and what could be again. She would often speak with a kind of nostalgic joy about her childhood. Her closest friends were one Sikh, one Hindu, and she herself was Muslim. They studied together, laughed together, and for a time, knew no difference. But then one day, her friends were gone —vanished, relocated, separated by a line on a map that tore through homes and hearts. She never saw them again. The heartbreak in her voice never faded. That grief didn’t end with her generation — it lingers, still.

The Partition of India in 1947 displaced over 15 million people and led to the deaths of more than a million. Families were uprooted, entire communities were destroyed, and the trauma still echoes through generations. It wasn’t just the division of land — it was the division of trust, identity, and history. That wound has never fully healed even 75 years later - I pray someday soon it does. 

And when we talk about the consequences of war, it’s not just about political victory or defeat — it's about the human cost. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasakikilled over 200,000 people, many of them civilians. Survivors suffered from leukaemia, other cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects that continued for generations. War doesn’t end when the bombs stop falling. It lingers in bodies, in minds, in the silence between broken generations.

If you want to better understand what the Partition meant, and why we need to learn from it, I highly recommend this TED Talk: here.

In the end, this isn’t about which side is right. It’s about remembering that before anything else, we are human beings — and that should always come first. It’s time we stop reviving tensions and start healing. Because once, not so long ago, we were one.

Let’s try to be, again. 🤍