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Bodies of Muslims would be thrown off trains into the river, recalls a Partition survivor

Bodies of Muslims would be thrown off trains into the river, recalls a Partition survivor

Remembering 70 years of Pakistan: CAP's recording of Syed Maqsood Hussain tells of Muslims' tragic fate aboard trains
Updated 11 Aug, 2017

Partition is not only synonymous with celebration, but also massacre and bloodshed.

Syed Maqsood Hussain, a Partition survivor, shares his experience of witnessing the harrowing mass murder that took take place aboard trains carrying Muslims.

"When the trains would reach Agra, thousands of Muslims would gather around the river. The trains would throw out bodies of Muslims into the river," he said.

"The trains would then be washed, they would go back, pick up more Muslims on the way and they would be massacred again."

Hussain recalls burying the dead bodies in good condition, while releasing some in the river. "I have seen the water turn red."


This article is part of a week-long series on Partition and the early years of Pakistan, run collaboratively by Images and The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP).

CAP is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and historic preservation. It seeks to educate the community, foster an awareness of our nation’s history and instill pride in Pakistani citizens about their heritage.

Comments

GHULAM IDREES BANGASH Aug 10, 2017 06:22pm
the sacrifices of 70 years back need no lightening on the ground that our politician did not maintain the separation / independence day , but turn to greed and now making fool the nation by corrupting all the government established systems for their profit, I AM SORRY FOR THESE
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Alba Aug 10, 2017 06:26pm
The truth is that not enough planing went into Partition and people panicked. They returned to their animal nature. Time to admit that.
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Anwar Syed Aug 10, 2017 06:33pm
Unfortunately, new Pakistani generation do not know about the history of Pakistan Independence and scarifies of lives. Pakistan History should be a part of the syllabus in the schools & colleges private and government through out the country. Young generation of now a days do not know the history of Pakistan.
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Jamal Aug 10, 2017 06:37pm
This is our Pakistan and we got it after so many sacrifices by our Muslim brothers and sisters during partition. We didn't get Pakistan for granted. On this 14th august Pakistanis should be united to remove all these corrupt leaders from our country. Let's rebuild Pakistan.
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karan Aug 10, 2017 06:47pm
Same happened for Hindus who were leaving Pakistan too.
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Junaid Aug 10, 2017 06:48pm
Not just muslims, hindus and sikh suffered same fate. Where ever the dominate religion people lived, the minority community was targeted. That included targeting sikhs, hindus going to India from muslim dominated Pakistan, and targeting muslims going out of India from sikh and Hindu dominated India/Punjab, to Pakistan.
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Shaheen A. Aug 10, 2017 06:56pm
when you look at the millions of people who died as a consequence of partition, one wonders if it was even worth it. What did we accomplish, and where we stand today- does it even make sense?
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C M Naim Aug 10, 2017 07:03pm
How old is Mr. Hussain? He was in Agra in 1947, when did he come to Pakistan, or is he still in India? I can't figure out where the trains were coming from or where they were going? He says they were washed in Agra, but that was not the final destination for the Muslims who were fleeing from India. This report is much too confused.
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Balaji Aug 10, 2017 07:08pm
@Anwar Syed History of Pakistan is just 70 years old. The young generation should be taught about the culture of our subcontinent. Our culture is not as same as middle East or the Western nations. It never will be too. Let us just accept who we are first to evolve as a society.
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I m Pakistan Aug 10, 2017 08:51pm
I appreciate Dawn for refreshing the memories of a historic chapter in our nation's life. Two Nations theory is as valid today as it was 70 years back. We are indebted to our forefathers for enduring all that which fetch us freedom.
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a sharma Aug 10, 2017 10:46pm
It was a travesty of humanity on both sides of the border, otherwise the people of same civilisation and common ancestry , went through madness and animal nature at that unfortunate time of partition. I must say , the leaders of both sides must take the blame for bad planning (or no planning at all) of the partition. People really ran into chaos and then as usual the madness took over everything. RIP to unfortunate , untimely departed souls.
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Ahsan Gul Aug 10, 2017 11:14pm
Painful to move to Pakistan to be governed by total idiots, money launderers and land grabbers. Each year passed in a hope that the following be better and leaders would be honest but hope is fading. Sorry to express but the truth is coming out.
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Aamtaur Aug 11, 2017 01:41am
Same thing happened in the opposite direction.
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Sandhu Aug 11, 2017 02:27am
India and Pakistan people are fooland most unintelligent people, the two state solution was created with a dream to make countries where there will fairgo, justice, equal distribution wealth among people, peaceful , no hatred, no crime, rape and violence. Have we really achieve really achive? Creating or sud dividing states will never solve these problem.
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DV Aug 11, 2017 03:10am
One sided hate rubbish
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Rahul Aug 11, 2017 03:40am
Genocide took place on both sides of the border.
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Roz Aug 11, 2017 03:53am
History of pakistan is not in syllabus of schools & colleges in pakistan how come
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Londoner Aug 11, 2017 04:52am
what a horrific story of a beautiful country before partition.
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Shailes Aug 11, 2017 05:55am
Riiight, only Muslims were killed during the partition. Hindus and sikhs weren't touched at all.
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jssidhoo Aug 11, 2017 05:55am
These are stories when read on both sides of the border , they only generate hate we have had enough of that . There are also stories where people put their own lives at risk to save lives --those our the stories of humanity that need to be told . We all know about the low level to which we sank . Tell us stories that generate love . My own grandmother had hidden the only Muslim family in our village in our house . Somehow she was the only member of our family at home . When the mob came to get the Muslims she a hunchback stood at our gate and told them "Over my dead body " . As a kid in the 60's i remember meeting a lady from the family her name was Halima . Please tell us tales that beget love we have had enough of hate .
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shubs Aug 11, 2017 06:30am
The horrors of partition took place on both sides. This headline is only half the story. The people who lived through it know this fact. But the generations that followed in Pakistan have been taught a mix of fantasy and hatred as history. And this kind of headline is a bait to their worst instincts. Expected better from Dawn.
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riaz alvi Aug 11, 2017 08:10am
our sub continent is in mess.handful elites will continue to dominate. pakistan might emerge but no hope for india with thier mind set which has no secular values
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Manish Sanghvi Aug 11, 2017 08:16am
@Anwar Syed man 60 yrs old country dnt have history. And remember hindus were killed in equal numbers.
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Abdul Rahman Patujo Aug 11, 2017 08:44am
So true
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Abdul Rahman Patujo Aug 11, 2017 08:46am
True
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Farhan Pandit Aug 11, 2017 09:40am
Massacres were a shameful chapter in history for all the countries affected. 70 yrs have gone by, probably 3-4 generations are added - who don't carry the baggage of partition. Time to move on to more progressive things.
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tariq Aug 11, 2017 09:42am
@Shailes You are very true...
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El Cid Aug 11, 2017 09:45am
Thank God for Pakistan. Thank God for Quaid a Azam.
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whoami Aug 11, 2017 09:54am
As if hindus and sikhs were bathed in milk
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BRR Aug 11, 2017 10:49am
Mostly fiction.
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SG Aug 11, 2017 11:25am
Partition was a bad memory for everyone. People of all religions were called, not just Muslims
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Nithin Aug 11, 2017 11:45am
How many Hindus died? Why partition? Look at Indian Muslims they are in a better position than any Pakistani
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Cutty Aug 11, 2017 12:49pm
Communal violence is a problem of the indo-ganetic plains. At independence there was a complete breakdown of civil administration. Britain has to take part of the blame for it as it withdrew lots of law enforcers and created a vacuum. And the nascent administration of Nehru was unable to cope. Not that it has got better after independence. Sporadic violence when mobs attack communities because of perceived grievances have continued even decades after independence. Unfortunately the governments in power fail to enforce law and order repeatedly. India and Pakistan should address this problem
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Ather Khan Aug 11, 2017 02:35pm
We owe alot to thousands of muslim killed in 1947, they gave their blood to ensure the dream of Pakistan can be a reality. They knew muslims in india would never be safe. The Pakistan dream was not new in 1947, Dr Allama Iqbal and Rehmat Ali both had advised of a seperate homeland for muslims, because they knew that hindus will avenge 800 years of muslim rule in india, if the british left. We see example of this in kasmire where thousands of muslims have been killed by indian troops. Pakistan was created by the will of God. We will give our last drop of blood to save it. ISLAM ZINDABAD. PAKISTAN ZINDABAD.
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Ather Khan Aug 11, 2017 02:37pm
@Anwar Syed you are correct. We should never forget the people who paid with blood for Pakistan
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Ather Khan Aug 11, 2017 02:46pm
@karan I was in siakot city recently and was amazed to find only ONE sikh family still lived there. They did not move because the muslims defended them.
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Ather Khan Aug 11, 2017 02:47pm
@a sharma it was a bad time for all. But it was for a reason.
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Ashwin Aug 11, 2017 05:49pm
I bet if the partition were happened for a separate Christian or Sikh land, there wouldn't have been even 5% violence on both the sides.
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Debashis Banerjee Aug 13, 2017 10:01pm
@Farhan Pandit Very True.
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