Shoaib Akhtar in a talk show on Aaj Tak with Harbhajan Singh ahead of the India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup match on Sunday said that he believes in the two-nation theory that says Muslims form a separate nation. The two-nation theory was the basis of the creation of Pakistan.

The discussion on the matter began after Harbhajan Singh said that the relationship between cricketers from the two countries are hindered when players insult India, hinting at Pakistani players who have made obnoxious comments about India in the past.

“The problem begins when in any issue, a cricketer insults India, our flag. Then we have a problem. We know how much love there is between us but our people get angry with our friendship only when some senseless person makes some remark such as ‘Kashmir is ours’. Bhai, leave it to people responsible for these decisions. Our stature is not so great that we should delve into such matters,” Harbhajan Singh said.

While Harbhajan Singh appeared unwilling to take any names, the anchor pointed out that Shahid Afridi had made many such remarks. “One person says such then everyone suffers,” Singh added. He also said that people have told him to stop talking with Shoaib Akhtar because Akhtar is from Pakistan. And Singh said that it was legitimate for people to say that when Pakistanis insult India and the Indian flag.

Harbhajan Singh proceeded to say, “We are one. If you look at history, Indians and Pakistanis, we look the same. And why do we have so much hatred? Because we started playing against each other or because we make inappropriate remarks about each other? Why is that?”

Shoaib Akhtar said in response, “I will not go deep into it. From the two-nation theory until now, there is a long history. We believe in the two-nation theory, I believe in it. We have an ideology. Ie we start talking about it, then it will go very far.”

What The Two Nation Theory, endorsed by Shoaib Akhtar, says

The two nation theory was first promulgated by Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University. The theory asserts that Muslims and Hindus form two separate nations who cannot coexist peacefully in one country.

Syed Ahmad Khan said in 1876, “I am convinced now that Hindus and Muslims could never become one nation as their religion and way of life was quite distinct from each other.” Seven years later, he voiced similar sentiments. He said, “Friends, in India, there live two prominent nations which are distinguished by the names of Hindus and Mussalmans…To be a Hindu or a Muslim is a matter of internal faith which has nothing to do with mutual relationships and external conditions…Hence, leave God’s share to God and concern yourself with the share that is yours…India is the home of both of us…By living so long in India, the blood of both have [sic] changed.”

Twelve years later, he stated, “Now, suppose that the English community and the army were to leave India, taking with them all their cannons and their splendid weapons and all else, who then would be the rulers of India?… Is it possible that under these circumstances two nations—the Mohammedans and the Hindus—could sit on the same throne and remain equal in power? Most certainly not. It is necessary that one of them should conquer the other. To hope that both could remain equal is to desire the impossible and the inconceivable. But until one nation has conquered the other and made it obedient, peace cannot reign in the land.”

Poet Muhammad Iqbal took forward Syed Ahmed Khan’s idea and advocated for the creation of Pakistan as well. He said, “India is a continent of human beings belonging to different languages and professing different religions…I, therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best interests of the Muslims of India and Islam.”

The ideology ultimately led to the formation of Pakistan and the genocide of Hindus that followed.