Making of Another Kashmir in Northeast

Abstract

Pakistan’s close association with China has made it a stronger enemy for India to deal with easily. Delhi-Mumbai-Ahmedabad centric ruling oligarchy is looking for a softer enemy around NE to shift the war zone away from India’s power center to the periphery. Kashmir and Northeast (NE) India have many similarities- both historical and strategic. Incidentally till date AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act) has been executed only in North-eastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir. After the partition of Punjab and Bengal, Kashmir and NE India almost got completely cut-off from the mainland India and caught surrounded by foreign countries. Moreover these two regions (Kashmir and NE) also have lost their easy access to sea ports (Karachi and Chittagong/Kolkata respectively) which they had enjoyed in the undivided India. Subsequent invasions of Pakistan and China have cut Kashmir into a divided entity. Rise of Bangladesh as an emerging ‘Tiger’ of the South East Asia is a major blow to the proponents of religion based Two Nations Theory. To the Hindu nationalists of India, existence of Bangladesh as an independent thriving nation is an embarrassment. Bengali refugees are like ‘termites’ to them. And to fight these ‘termites’ they have decided to strengthen their hold in West Bengal first. To the land locked people of northeaster states, Bengali speaking people of Bangladesh and West Bengal are not ‘termites’ rather these people are their true friends. All are the victims of partition of Bengal in 1947. Unless this truth is realized and internalized by the people of Northeast, the entire region runs the risk of becoming another war zone like Kashmir.