Final answer:
British colonial policies, including 'Divide and Rule', and the ill-conceived partition of India, are central to understanding the lasting antagonism between India and Pakistan. The British influence inadvertently led to nationalist movements and left a complex legacy in the region.
Step-by-step explanation:
The antagonism between India and Pakistan since independence is commonly attributed to a combination of factors linked to the period of British rule in India. These include the hasty and somewhat arbitrary drawing of borders during the partition of India, which led to widespread violence and migration, as well as British policies that fostered divisions based on religion and ethnicity.
Decision-making during the partition, which was overseen by Lord Mountbatten, led to rushed and sometimes ill-informed decisions regarding the borders separating the newly formed nations. This, coupled with the British strategy of 'Divide and Rule' during colonial times, sowed seeds of discord that have perpetuated enmity between the two nations.
The British influenced education and legal systems also left a complex legacy, with the Western-educated elite often driving nationalist movements contrary to the British expectation that they would support continued British dominance. These elements and the legacy of colonial rule have contributed to the complex geopolitical relationship between India and Pakistan.