#everyone I've ever met from Pakistan is just as tired of the political climate as I am

[academicgangster]

This, however, is extremely not true lmao. India is a secular country per its foundational constitution - all faiths are given equal legitimacy and people of all faiths have a legal right to exist and practice their faith.

Hindutva ideologues - a LOT of whom are unfortunately in powerful positions in the current government - are the ones who want to eradicate all traces of Islam, in favour of making India a so-called 'Hindu nation'. But they're one (1) political ideology. A right-wing, fundamentalist, fascist ideology that is at odds with the very constitution of the country. 'India' does not want to subsume or colonize Pakistan, nor to eradicate Islam or Muslims. There are some people in India who do. An increasingly vocal, horrifying faction of people - but it's NOWHERE NEAR all of us.

India is not a one-religion state - it's a secular state. As opposed to Pakistan, which is in fact an Islamic state. You can criticize Hindutva - and you SHOULD criticize Hindutva - without spreading misinformation.

And, by the way, OP of these tags says their step-grandmother had to flee India because she was Muslim, which is undoubtedly true. I'll offer an anecdote in return. Three of my four grandparents had to flee Pakistan because they weren't Muslim. They still speak Urdu, rather than Hindi. They had to flee Muslim-against-Hindu violence to survive. It's not a one-way street. It is, however, a street on which one side is a religious state and one is secular.

INDIA IS NOT A 'HINDU NATION'. Yes, there was horrific interfaith violence and untold bloodshed during the Partition. There has been Hindu violence against Muslims and against Sikhs in living memory, and these are shameful blots on the country's history. But there are absolutely Muslims and Sikhs living in India, and their right to do so is constitutionally protected. That's how the constitution of India was written - to prevent us becoming a one-religion country. To preserve all the different ways of being you find in a massive country like this one. And that, to me and to the countless others in this nation who oppose Hindutva, is worth fighting for.