You dont appear to know your history; famillies were not "expelled" from India, they were people that CHOSE to migrate to the Muslim majority state of Pakistan. As the Hindu and Sikh minorities of the new Pakistan CHOSE to migrate to India proper. I suggest you bone-up on your history so as not to make ludicrous and dangerously loaded comments.

Samir Farhat, Dubai, UAE

I can tell the author has never been to Pakistan, otherwise he would not be so pessimistic about the situation.

Akram, London,

No doubt the failures of the Pakistani people will eventually be layed at the feet of Bush and Blair by the Muslim world.

george, slough,

' MQM movement of families expelled from India in 1947'

In 1947, masses of people moved across borders in both directions - choosing to live in India or in the newly created state of Pakistan, or to escape communal rioting. But you decsribe the movement of some Muslims - many chose to stay in India - from India to Pakistan as 'expelled'!

G Bhan, Oldham, UK

I just hope that Britain isn't expected to welcome an onslaught of thousands of pakistani refugees if the country disintegrates.

ed hummer, london,

In wider contest, the creation of Pakistan on religious grounds was a mistake at the first place and breaking pakistan (to Bdesh) was another blunder. India talks about Hindu-muslim, hindu-sikh, christian-muslim roits, but what about recent killings? Time being, problem has shifted its operation a bit away from Kashmir. GOOD NEWS FOR INDIA.
Children's (a monkey & two cats) story is working nicely in this region. Unvisible force is holding kings of MQM & PPP &&... under his umbrella which are nothing more than a remote control to play any scene on the ground.
May be more hot news are on the way, but let us collectivily pray for the safety of the innocent lives in future who have nothing to do with this dirty politics.

Sukhpal, Salmiya, Kuwait

Yes, very true. As someone born in Pakistan, but now resident abroad, I feel that the Pakistanis are as unused to freedom as the Iraqis. It's sad, but the extremes of violence and emotion and corruption do not show the presence of a mature populace. Perhaps India or even Britain will have it back, if they show extreme bad judgement, all expenses paid for by the US.

Alcibiades, Edwardsville, Illinois,

it is not the mobs on the street but general musharraf which is the threat. By destroying Pakistan's already weak institutions, he is making the country ripe for an islamist takeover. Why should any pakistani have favorable thoughts about a western world that promotes dictatorship and oppression?

omar, Milwaukee, USA, WI

I imagine the government's response will be to urge faster emigration to the UK and to strengthen the imported wife industry. The notion of infringing the multi cultural doctrine that all cultures are equally healthy must be protected at all costs.

Ib, Haggerston, UK

What amazes me is that we are seeing a murdeous situation evolving in Pakistan threatening "instability" to the region and the World.
Yet the media seems to be focussed almost entirely on the search for a 4 year old child.Tragic ,the latter story is ,but why is the focus so overwhelming?Many children go missing every day throughout the World without even a mention.It is not every day that the world witnesses a crisis such as we have in pakistan that threatens peace and security potentially for millions of people and has already slaughtered so many in the country itself.
Perhaps it is because South Asia is so far away that we do not relate to it,but we must remember that we have a large Pakistani community who must be feeling more and more vulnerable and neglected.Neither should we forget that it was Great Britain which was responsible for the birth of Pakistan and partition.

james rea, launceston, uk

Just think of the Taliban with 50 tactical nuclear weapons. Could happen. It's a very short jump to the Taliban with 40 nucs, and Al-Qa'ida with 10 nucs. Feeling better??

David H, Alexandria, Virginia/USA