Day: November 9, 2016

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Dr. Pritam Rohila thinks a lot about peace, mostly because he’s witnessed the horrors conflict conjures. Pritam was born in Rupar, India, when it was still ruled by British colonialists. When he was 11 years old, Britain gave up control over the land, but not before dividing it up into the modern-day India and Pakistan. “It was not anticipated that there would be an exchange of populations, but it happened because there was looting and raping on both sides of the ethnic divide,” Pritam said. There were days when he watched from his family’s roof as other parts of the town burned. It was a time of confusion because Rupar was a northeastern border town on the banks of the Satluj River and home to Hindu, Sikh and Muslim populations. For many days, before and after the cleaving, there was great uncertainty about which country Rupar would call home. In the end, Rupar remained part of India, but factions were already consolidating with Hindus and Sikhs on one side and Muslims on the other. “One day, the chief executive officer of the town went around to the Muslim residents and told them he could not defend them any longer. He said he would provide safe passage to the nearest railroad station 30 miles away,” Pritam said. In the days that followed, Muslims...