India vs Pakistan
When the British ruled the Indian subcontinent there was no such thing as India and Pakistan. There was one swatch of territory that extending from Afghanistan to Burma that the British called ‘Hindoostan,” British India, or simply the Raj. However, when Independence came in 1947 it was accompanied by Partition. Partition split Hindoostan into two countries India and Pakistan. Today, the differences between India and Pakistan still have the power to tear South Asia apart.
The Idea of India and Pakistan
- India ‘“ was conceived as a secular democracy by National Congress leads such as Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. It was meant to guarantee all the people on the South Asian subcontinent political and religious freedom.
- Pakistan ‘“ was the brainchild of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and other Muslim Congress leaders. As independence talks progressed with the British in the inter-war years, the British convinced Jinnah and the others that Muslims would become second-class citizens in a predominantly Hindu India and therefore needed their own state to be truly free.
The Geography of India and Pakistan
- India ‘“ occupies most of the subcontinent with territory stretching from Conchin on the Indian Ocean all the way to Srinagar in the Himalayas. To the west it abuts Pakistan in the Rajasthani desert and in the east it encircles Bangladesh and touches Burma. The total square mileage of India is 1,269,221.
- Pakistan ‘“ used to have territory on both the east and west sides of India. It lost its eastern territory in 1971, which was then renamed Bangladesh. Pakistan now is the slice of arid land between India and Afghanistan with 340,403 square miles to its name.
The Population of India and Pakistan
- India ‘“ current figures put the population of India about approximately 1.2 billion people, of which ten percent, or 120 million, are Muslim. India hosts the third largest Muslim population in the world.
- Pakistan ‘“ has a population of 169 million, of which nearly one hundred percent of the people are Muslim. This means, that despite the fact that India is a secular nation and Pakistan is a Muslim one, both host comparably sized Muslim populations.
Firepower of India and Pakistan
- India ‘“ went officially nuclear in 1998, twenty years after her first peaceful nuclear explosion. However, India’s army, navy, and air force are quickly racing to meet international standards for a modern military. She continues to buy equipment from countries around the world.
- Pakistan ‘“ is also a nuclear country; it responded to India’s nuclear blast within the month. However, much of Pakistan’s military equipment is second hand from the United States and is nowhere near the strength of India’s.
Summary:
1.India and Pakistan have traditionally been part of the same administrative unit from Mughal times and into the Raj.
2.India is a secular nation whereas Pakistan is a Muslim state.
3.India is several times larger than Pakistan, in territory, population, and military strength.
4.Both India and Pakistan have similarly sized Muslim populations.