Well, Mahatma Gandhi was dead within a year of Independence (1948), so it seems kind o unfair to place the blamce completely on him. I believe Jinnah wasnt alive too long either.

Mahatma Gandhi was certainly somewhat of a brake on Indian "development" in the Western sense because he was all for "village life" and stuff, and it permeated many sections of the society. But seeing his very early death, and Pandit Nehru's prompt move to industrialize and achieve self-sufficiency... I dont think his ideas took effect in policy-making. From what little I know of Jinnah, he was always pro-industrialization.


PS: I might have completely misunderstood your question. If you meant that by achieving Independence India/Pak lost out on being "hand held" into development by UK like Oz, then you are completely wrong.

Mughal empire was in its decline after Aurganzeb, 1707, I think. Not much imagination to know where the Mughals were going, RIGHT DOWN SOUTH. Marathas and Sikhs was consolidating their empires, and so was OUDH. British took them all!!! No big deal.

They brought some good things, but stabbed the subcontinent while leaving in 47.

 Liberating India from the clutches of Turkic barbarians and their traitor cronies???

<img src="http://img.search.com/8/87/300px-India1760_1905.jpg">

Of course count on a Paki to sing the highest praises of the masters who ruled them with the tightest leash. Tell me what exactly do they teach about even Pakjabi resistance to the Mughals in your mutant country? Surely you must have heard of the Bhattis' (and I mean just the converts) resistance to the Mughal tyranny? Or read some of Kushal Khan Khattak's poem's bemoaning the dishonor of Pashtun life and persecution of its people?

Okay, skrew that: Even Indian textbooks are retarded enough to term Akbar "the Great", cant hardly expect you neanderthals to know otherwise (BTW: if you ever get around to it, ask about the 6 foot long pyramids of Pashtun patriots' heads marking every mile of Grand Trunk Road from Peshawar to Lahaore -- a fitting memorial to the last semi-decent Muslim King of Delhi who undertook the GTR project for the public good instead of personal aggrandizment, Sher Shah Suri - a Pathan).

Let me set the goals reallllly low: If the Mughal power was non-existent by 1700s, please explain how Nadir Shah of Persia sacked Delhi in 1750s? Or explain how Ahmed Shah Abdali (Durrani, if you prefer) raided Delhi 17 times if the Mughals were in full control? Or explain why the Mughal King commissioned a Maratha Army to fend of the 18th raid? Or explain who won Peshawar from the Afghans (now under Abdali's grandson) for you ungrateful wretches - the Sikhs, the Mughals or the British in 1820s?

It never ceases to amaze me - the pride you Pakjabis show in high-lighting your exploited and undistinguished past by praising the very exploiters and tyrants at every given opportunity. In all the 400 years of Mughal history there is just ONE instance of a Punjabi Muslim attaining a princely rank of Mirza in the court of the Turks! As a benchmark know that every friggin alley in Lucknow seems to have had its own "Mirza" at one point of time or another (you can confirm it with the nearest Mohajir).

Oh, and where do you think the Mughals got the revenues to spend their wasteful lives in the pre-Indsustrial Age? From the deserts of Rajasthan? From the mountains of Maharashtra? From the ever rebellious Jats of Ganga valley? OR is it possible that it was it from the fertile plains of Punjab?

I am sure Turks like Ghaznavi, Khilji and Babar, as well as Pathans like Ghuri and Abdali will feel extremely gratified that their favorite milking cow and whipping boy continues to honor them by naming all their missiles after them in the most childish, knwwjerk reaction.

India as an economy is bigger and better and has more potential than Australia. Your opininon about the subcontinent being an Australia had their been no independence is '"looney" to the say the least. Australia was a dumping land for all the undesirables from Britain and later for all the losers in Britain who wanted to start afresh. India is/was way too big before and after independence!!! and most importantly Indians wanted to kick out the FIRANGS, period. Firangs stabbed India in the back by sowing the seeds of Partition. See where that led too 60 years down the line. Pakis trained in Terrorist state of pakistan blowing up trains in London.

What u sow is what u reap!!!