FOLLOWING the fall of Dhaka in 1971, Indira Gandhi arrogantly proclaimed that the “Two-Nation Theory has been drowned in the Bay of Bengal.” At that crossroads of history, she viewed it as her crowning strategic triumph. However, the relentless cycles of time and the shifting tides of history have proven that ideologies do not perish simply because geographical lines are redrawn. Today, nearly five and a half decades later, those very waves are refuting her claim. The Two-Nation Theory is resurging with a renewed vigor, pulsing through the veins of Bengali youth.
The political upheaval witnessed in Bangladesh over the past year was not merely a change of regime; it was a profound reclamation of identity. For years, Sheikh Hasina Wajid kept Bangladesh under the shadow of New Delhi. While Dhaka has finally liberated itself from Indian hegemony, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founder has ironically sought refuge in her “eternal home,” India.
This dark chapter of Bangladeshi history is becoming a thing of the past. Young revolutionaries have demonstrated that while linguistic pride and regional politics can be temporary, the instinct to resist tyranny and foreign dominance is eternal. The face of this emerging Bangladesh was Usman Hadi, a young leader who looked played a pivotal role in dismantling the Hasina regime.
Osman Hadi’s martyrdom was no ordinary event; it was the direct result of the desperation felt by the Modi government as it watched Bangladesh’s changing stance. Hadi’s “crime” was exposing the “RAW” intelligence network, advocating for meritocracy, and, most significantly, openly supporting the Two-Nation Theory. While his killers may have fled to India, his sacrifice has ignited a fire of anti-India sentiment across the country, leaving Indian consulates and their local proxies increasingly isolated. India projects itself globally as the “world’s largest democracy” through its cinematic soft power, often painting Pakistan as the sole source of regional discord.
Yet, the reality is that even India’s own citizens are not safe under the shadow of Hindutva. From the targeted killings of Sikhs in Canada to assassinations in Australia and the sponsorship of terror groups in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the BJP government has dropped its democratic mask. India fears a stable, sovereign Bangladesh because a free Dhaka will never settle for being a puppet. The true source of New Delhi’s anxiety is the rekindled brotherhood between Pakistan and Bangladesh, which has survived decades of hateful propaganda.
Today, the bitterness of the past is dissolving, giving way to a new dimension of affection. The Bengali people now realize that 1971 did not bring true liberation but rather a new form of economic and political bondage through treaties that tied their markets to India. Indira Gandhi was wrong; Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was right. The Two-Nation Theory is not just a political slogan but the civilizational destiny of the Muslims of the Subcontinent—one that transcends borders.
The emerging unity between Pakistan and Bangladesh is a guarantee of regional peace and the beginning of the end for Indian hegemony. The Two-Nation Theory did not drown in the Bay of Bengal; it is resurging powerfully and effectively.
—The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar and a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad.
