Mr. Amir Ahamed’s story
Amir Ahamed
Mr Ahmed reflects on the two major migrations in his life, first as a 11 year old Muslim, a passage from India to the newly formed Pakistan, followed by a migration to the UK.
Transcript
My name is Amir Ahmed and I was born in Jalandhar, East Punjab, which is in India now, and I was born in 1938, so I was nearly nine years of age when India was divided.
My parents and my other relatives decided to move to Pakistan because we were all Muslims and Pakistan is a Muslim country.
We were going in the form of a caravan and one of my relatives, he forgot something at home. He went back to get it but he never returned, so he was killed there – that is the memory which I can never forget.
When we reached Jalandhar Cantonment some people – I don’t know, the Hindus or Sikhs – they put some poison in the well, and the people; there was a chaos among people that people are going to die now.
A truck was arranged for us and we crossed the border and came to Lahaur. Now these are the two main memories which I can never forget.
It was not right, this partition. Those countries they were created on the basis of religion, but in my opinion I think religion is not so important.
While in this country, I personally prefer to be away from religion. I have got a lot of English friends, lot of continental, from Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Denmark – I’ve got friends scattered all over the place, so why? Maybe this has given me a wider vision? You see? Maybe it might be the reason. Personally, that’s why I feel that religion is not important.
So, it’s the personal relations that is more important – how you socialise with them, how you meet them, how you behave and how you react. I think these things are much more important.
It’s just the way that we are brought up: the world is changing and human relations – interpersonal relations are much much more important than anything else.
