Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding an invitation to PresidentDroupadi Murmu of India, which referred to her as the “President of Bharat”rather than “President of India,” and the opposition’s assertion that theNarendra Modi government is considering renaming India to Bharat, localmedia reports in Pakistan have hinted at the possibility of Pakistanasserting its claim to the name ‘India.’
According to a tweet from the South Asia Index, it was suggested thatPakistan might stake a claim to the name “India” if India officiallydisavows it at the United Nations level. This intriguing development hasraised questions about the historical and geographical significance of theterm.
Nationalists in Pakistan have long contended that Pakistan has a legitimateright to the name “India,” as it historically refers to the Indus region.This connection to the mighty Indus River, which spans much of present-dayPakistan, is seen as a point of contention.
It’s worth noting that the Indian government has not issued an officialstatement regarding the proposed name change from India to Bharat. TheSouth Asia Index, in its tweets, has emphasized that the term “Bharat” hasdeep roots in Sanskrit, which adds another layer of complexity to thisdebate.
The historical context is crucial in understanding this debate. The tweethighlights that the name “India” originally referred to the Indus regionand the basin of the powerful Indus River, which extended into what is nowmodern-day Pakistan. It’s interesting to note that Muhammad Ali Jinnah, akey figure in Pakistan’s history, had reservations about “India” as thename for the newly independent country, suggesting “Hindustan” or “Bharat”instead.
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The tweet from South Asia Index also indicates that the right-wing in Indiahas had a long-standing aversion to the name “India.” Meanwhile, former LokSabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has asserted that the country’s original and”unquestionable” name is Bharat, with the use of “India” being aBritish-imposed term.
Source: The Weeklink