Ethnic Conflicts in Northeast India and Balochistan in Pakistan

Abstract

This article examines the comparative study on ethnic conflicts in Northeast India and Balochistan of Pakistan focusing on the political actors and factors of the insurgencies. This article argues that ethnic conflicts in Northeast India and Balochistan in Pakistan have become institutionalized form of armed violence due to economic deprivation, political domination, cultural injustice, lack of communication, resource competition etc. Moreover, the politicization of issues like governance, political economy, colonialism, role of central government, foreign intervention and media coverage significantly promotes ethnic insurgencies into nationalist movements with a view to achieving their self-determination in their respective territories. The article looks at the representation of these political causes of ethnic conflicts as well as how and to what extent ethnic conflicts in Northeast India are different from that of Balochistan in Pakistan.