Manto first refers to the opposing armies as one entity to draw attention to their similarities and then describes them separately but ironically the juxtaposition of the armies just highlights their resemblance. To begin with the camps were at the same height, which could show how neither side was any less responsible for partition but also that no one had any advantages. Everyone was as vulnerable The daily routines in the camps were identical “at night they would light huge fires and hear each other’s voices echoing through the hills” Manto uses this to show how there was no real premise for partition and that it was senseless and absurd. The next similarity that can be observed is the names of the commanders in camps Jamadar Harnam Singh and Subedar Himmat Khan, they are almost identical except for their surnames conveying that the only thing that separated these people was their religions.
Both sides try to distinguish themselves from one another “those Sikhs” and “All Pakistanis including dogs should be shot” but essentially they are the same, which can be seen in their interactions with the dog. The Indian camp first names the dog “Jhun Jhun” and the Pakistani camp calls the dog “Shun Shun” showing that it was not religion that made people different but rather their roots. These people were all Punjabis and so they had similar upbringings, which is what makes this situation even more irrational. The Pakistani commander asks Bashir to write in “Gurmukhi, the language of those Sikhs” which just shows that even though it is the language of the Sikhs he knows it because he is from the same place and has grown up with the language. Manto
Another point where their Punjabiness is shown is when Bashir a very Muslim name is changed to Bashirey, which sounds much less religious and more Punjabi. This notion of a more cultural or place specific identity can be seen in Toba Tek Singh where the Bishan Singh relates himself not to India and Pakistan but rather to Toba Tek Singh. Manto uses the songs in The Dog of Titwal to great effect. Both sides sing the same songs of undying love, a Punjabi classic again showing their similarities. However it is ironic, as the Partition has brought about a sense of undying enmity. Again a reference to the land is made “Grey hills seemed to have been affected by the melancholy of the songs” to show how the people of the land had been affected by the partition. It is ironical that the soldiers who are fighting for their new countries missed their homes. “Their positions were impregnable” this phrase is quite ironic as they were so emotionally vulnerable and the common people were so easily forced to leave their homes and displaced.
The last similarity that Manto gives between the two camps is the way both commanders laughed “boisterously as they shot the dog which implies that both sides had become so demented and twisted that they were even shooting dogs and also that both sides were to blame for the suffering. The idea of partition was brought up because apparently there were major differences between the people of the Indian Sub-continent however through this Manto shows that not only were the people thinking about the same things but they shared the same roots.
The paranoia and ridiculousness is brought out in the way that the soldiers on both sides act towards the dog. They both question the dogs’ identity “Prove your identity” “even dogs now will have to decide if they are Indian or Pakistani” these statements are used show the extent to which people had become fearful of one another. The ridiculousness of asking a dog to prove his identity is allegorical of the stupidity of what partition was asking people to do. The paranoia is epitomized in the last few pages “but wait that’s the Pakistani hill he’s coming from, the motherfucker.” This showed how that even a seemingly harmless animal was such a threat to them. Then they begin to shoot it showing the violence and impulsive mentality that the people had. The similarity is brought out again when the Pakistani camp has the same reaction and also begins to shoot the dog. The dog is a symbol of the ordinary people who eventually, like the dog suffered most because of partition. The dog is only wondering around looking for food and living its life, however the soldiers because of their paranoia force an identity onto it, an identity that it neither wants nor understands. This exemplifies how the government and the British forced people to change their identities from Punjabis to Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. The sectarian bloodletting, which resulted, is shown in the way the two camps brutalize the innocent and harmless dog just because it is coming from one side instead of another. The dog is forced to move away from the firing, which is a symbol of the displacement of the people, but the tragedy is that like the dog they were killed on the trains and in the riots even though they were following what they had been told. The dog like the common people is trapped in the crossfire and as a result bears the consequences of the authoritarian actions. The dog is even referred to as a “refugee” to show how people were promised homes on the other side but were left stranded. Manto mocks the people for their foolishness and gullibility for complying with this illogical idea and contributing to the terror that partition resulted in.
The title of the story has significance especially when one thinks of its connotation in Hindi where the dog is a derogatory term and is used here to show the hierarchy between the common people and authoritarian power. This can again be related to Toba Tek Singh as the dog is from, not India or Pakistan, but from Titwal. Manto uses humour and sheer stupidity to show how ridiculous partition was. The pain and suffering of the common man is really evident is this story as it describes the fratricidal violence and the displacement they endured.
Through this story he conveys his rationalistic idea that people are humans before they are Muslims or Hindus and how this was totally disregarded during partition. One could relate this situation, where people are being patronised, to what is happening in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.