Page 47 - Train to Pakistan

trained to fight in the war. This time they had the arms too. Haven’t you heard of
the mutiny of the Indian sailors? The soldiers would have done the same thing.
The English were frightened. They did not shoot any of the Indians who joined

the Indian National Army set up by the Japanese, because they thought the
whole country would turn against them.’
Iqbal’s thesis did not cut much ice.

‘Babuji, what you say may be right,’ said the lambardar hesitantly. ‘But I was
in the last war and fought in Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. We liked English

officers. They were better than the Indian.’
‘Yes,’ added Meet Singh, ‘my brother who is a havildar says all sepoys are
happier with English officers than with Indian. My brother’s colonel’s memsahib
still sends my niece things from London. You know, Lambardar Sahib, she even

sent money at her wedding. What Indian officers’ wives will do that?’
Iqbal tried to take the offensive. ‘Why, don’t you people want to be free? Do

you want to remain slaves all your lives?’
After a long silence the lambardar answered: ‘Freedom must be a good thing.
But what will we get out of it? Educated people like you, Babu Sahib, will get
the jobs the English had. Will we get more lands or more buffaloes?’

‘No,’ the Muslim said. ‘Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it.
We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians—

or the Pakistanis.’
Iqbal was startled at the analysis.
‘What you say is absolutely right,’ he agreed warmly. ‘If you want freedom to

mean something for you—the peasants and workers—you have to get together
and fight. Get the bania Congress government out. Get rid of the princes and the
landlords and freedom will mean for you just what you think it should. More

land, more buffaloes, no debts.’
‘That is what that fellow told us,’ interrupted Meet Singh, ‘that fellow …
Lambardara, what was his name? Comrade Something-or-other. Are you a

comrade, Babu Sahib?’
‘No.’
‘I am glad. That comrade did not believe in God. He said when his party came

into power they would drain the sacred pool round the temple at Tarn Taran and
plant rice in it. He said it would be more useful.’
‘That is foolish talk,’ protested Iqbal. He wished Meet Singh had remembered