India Pakistan Research Articles

Representation of India Pakistan tensions in Bollywood (2015-2020): Case study of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tiger Zinda Hai films

Representation of India Pakistan tensions in Bollywood (2015-2020): Case study of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tiger Zinda Hai films

Hydro-Political Dynamics Between China–India–Pakistan: Dams and Transboundary River Governance Amidst Geopolitical Contestations

Transboundary rivers raise critical concerns for state security amidst contemporary ecological strain and regional geopolitics in South Asia. The challenge of ‘water security’ is underscored by the substantial reliance on transboundary rivers, compounded by the multifaceted impacts of climate change and the simmering geopolitical tensions among riparian nations, especially in the complex dynamics between India–China and India–Pakistan. This study endeavours to illuminate distinctive characteristics of the South Asian transboundary governance framework, wherein rivers are subjected to intensive damming aimed at (a) harnessing hydroelectric potential and (b) leveraging water resources as geopolitical bargaining chips, thereby exerting pressure; however, order is not specified, particularly. In this intricate milieu, international conventions often fail to reconcile internal contradictions inherent within the transboundary governance paradigm. Consequently, transboundary water resources have metamorphosed into an extension of geopolitical realities, embodying intricate interplay between hydrology, geopolitics and state security within the region, especially between China, India and Pakistan.

Arguing Pakistan in Late Colonial India: The Political Thought of Shabbir Ahmad Usmani

Arguing Pakistan in Late Colonial India: The Political Thought of Shabbir Ahmad Usmani

Verging war between two atomic nations: Delineating coverage of India–Pakistan water dispute in global press

Arguably, journalistic practices should outline conflict reporting with a balanced approach to elicit non-violent responses. To date, no study has unfolded the coverage of the Indo-Pak potential war fueling “water dispute” by underpinning the theoretical notion of war and peace journalistic practices. Thus, drawing an analogy to war and peace journalism model, this article examines the media framing of the India–Pakistan water dispute in the USA, Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani newspapers. The study used a content analysis method to examine the use of framing techniques in newspapers. Findings supported that the global press' framing of the water dispute between India and Pakistan was dominated by war frames compared to peace frames. The Indian press used more war frames among the four countries while covering water disputes between rival nuclear neighbors. Moreover, it was found that the USA and Chinese press gave negligible coverage. The implications of the findings are discussed.

East Bengal-Mohun Bagan football fans and Indian politics: parochialism and nationalism in simultaneity?

ABSTRACT The footballing rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, India, explicates important facets of the politics of nation-building and identity formation through sport. The sporting nationalism of the colonial era gave way to narrow parochialism in post-independent India where the cultural differences of Bangals (original Hindu residents of East Bengal in colonial India and Hindu migrants from East Bengal/East Pakistan in postcolonial India) and Ghotis (original residents of western parts of Bengal in colonial India and of West Bengal in postcolonial India) emerged as the key linchpin of expressing allegiance to their respective club football teams particularly in the aftermath of immigration of refugees which took place as a result of the partition of 1947 and the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. However, the legislations pertaining to Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC) have propelled fans of these clubs to forego their sub-cultural differences and act in unison to express their grievances against the new regulations of the Indian state. The anti-NRC protest by the fans hinges on the link between football and the debates pertaining to the idea of citizenship in contemporary Indian politics. The displaying of Tifos by the fans that exhibited significant social messages bears semblance with the Ultras of European football.

Book review: Satinder Kumar Lambha, In Pursuit of Peace: India–Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers

Satinder Kumar Lambha, In Pursuit of Peace: India–Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers. Penguin Random House, 2023, pp. 384, ₹799, ISBN: 9780670097944.

Evaluation of Higher Education Policies: Case Study of PhD Programs in South Asia

This paper aims to compare quality of higher education in Pakistan and India. In this regard, data were collected concerning policies regarding admission and completion of PhD degrees in Pakistan and India through websites and notifications of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and University Grant Commission (UGC). The policies for admission and award of PhD degrees in both countries are then compared separately using Qualitative Comparative Analysis. There were four major admission criterions. Out of these four criterions, in three cases, rules set by HEC of Pakistan are relatively strict as compared to the rules set by UGC in India. Similarly, there are eight major criterions for the award of PhD degree after admission in the PhD program. Out of these eight criterions, the rules set by HEC in Pakistan and UGC in India are same for the two criterions, whereas, in the remaining six criterions, the rules set by HEC of Pakistan are strict as compared to the rules set by UGC in India. Hence, it is concluded that procedures for PhD programs in Pakistan are relatively better than that of procedures for PhD programs in India.

Recollecting The Unforgettable: Interrogating Migration, Trauma and Identity In Select Tripura Bengali Poems

The human mind retains the sequences of episodes that include prior experiences, memories and narratives. The traumatic memories of past are the one which stays in the subconscious and the recollection of those events formulates images of terror. Partition of India is one such event which incorporates narratives of multiple experiences of migration and separation. Tripura a small hilly state of North East India has seen the flood of migrants even before the major India Pakistan division took place. Most of Bengalis settled in Tripura have their roots in East Pakistan or which is after 1971 known as Bangladesh. Many decades have passed but they are still carrying their stories of migration and passing it to generation after generation. The trauma of separation from homeland becomes part of their memory and gets registered by the help of literature. This paper aims to examine select poems of Tripura which focuses upon the relation of migration and memory.

Book review: Satinder Kumar Lambah, In Pursuit of Peace: India–Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers

Satinder Kumar Lambah, In Pursuit of Peace: India–Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers. Penguin Random House, 2023, pp. 384, ₹799, ISBN 9780670097944.

Cooperation on Non-Traditional Security: India–Pakistan and the Locust Attack

The two nuclear-armed states of South Asia, India and Pakistan, besides being arch-rivals face common non-traditional security challenges. A recent example indicates that, despite having differences, they cooperated to successfully deal with the locust upsurge of 2019–2020. This study looks at why and how they arrived at joint efforts to thwart this non-traditional security threat. To set the context for this, it also explores the phases of the locust cycle and the reason why it constitutes a potential threat to the food security of both India and Pakistan. The study finds that the chances of cooperation between hostile states may increase if there are mutual threats in the non-traditional security realm. It further concludes that the chances of cooperation between the belligerent states increase if they are part of regional and international mechanisms to deal with the threats.

Deliberate Nuclear First Use in an Era of Asymmetry: A Game Theoretical Approach

Most nuclear dyads are characterized by some degree of nuclear and conventional asymmetry. This paper argues that these asymmetries create an environment in which deliberate nuclear first use (DNFU) can be rational. This possibility has been discarded in the formal literature on nuclear escalation because of the common reliance on the assumption of mutually assured destruction (MAD). This paper develops a formal model that traces how and under what circumstances two types of DNFU are rational. First, nuclear imbalances and advancements in counterforce technologies create a damage limitation incentive for a strong actor. Second, conventional asymmetry creates an incentive for the coercive use of nuclear weapons by the weaker player. Moreover, this paper illustrates that these asymmetric conditions are a relevant characteristic in important and very different nuclear dyads: DPRK–US, Pakistan–India, and Russia–US. Thus, the model demonstrates the potential core drivers of DNFU in today’s nuclear landscape.

India Pakistan relation and proliferation of nuclear weapons in South Asia

India Pakistan relation and proliferation of nuclear weapons in South Asia

“You Can’t Go to War Over Refugees”: The Bangladesh War of 1971 and the International Refugee Regime

Abstract This article examines the 1971 refugee crisis between India and Pakistan and discusses its enduring lessons for the global refugee regime. The crisis, which drove an estimated ten million refugees into India within a space of nine months, led to a war between the two countries. The events of that year had significant geopolitical consequences. It led to the break-up of the Pakistani state, created the new country of Bangladesh, and involved the United Nations in one of its earliest, and largest, refugee repatriation campaigns. Yet, the case has received little attention in the refugee studies literature. Based on extensive archival research of the records of the US, British, and Indian governments, and of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this article examines why and how the refugee crisis escalated into an interstate war. The study links the India–Pakistan case to ongoing challenges confronting the international refugee regime, particularly from the perspective of first-host countries. The 1971 crisis reminds us that refugee governance norms and practices must include more critical considerations of the conditions necessary to resolve forced migration situations.

Shock and Reconciliation? The Case of India–Pakistan, 1962–63

This paper examines the interstate reconciliation between India and Pakistan after the shock of Sino-Indian War of 1962. The post-1962 war political-security equations, particularly at the regional level, gave rise to a situation that necessitated India’s reconciliatory negotiations with Pakistan over Kashmir. Though the rival parties engaged in a six-round political dialogue, the process ended up in a deadlock followed by spirals of armed clashes that culminated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. The paper shows that this reconciliation process proved counterproductive because it was imposed from outside and the principal parties, in a window-driven haste and under the political-strategic constraints, could not mutually agree on to reconcile their political differences and settle the territorial dispute over Kashmir.

Study of Various Ectoparasites from Sperata Sarwari (Singharee) Obtained from Various Areas of Lahore, Pakistan

Singhari Sperata sarwari is an Indus catfish (family Bagridae) present in Pakistan and Indus drainage system in India. Objective: To check the Prevalence of ectoparasites on Singhari (Sperata sarwari) fish. Methods: A sample of 30 specimens of a freshwater catfish, Sperata sarwari was collected from different areas of Lahore, Pakistan, during December 2017 to May 2018. Total 30 fish were examined for ectoparasites. Out of 30 fish, only 08 were diseased with Lernaea. Results: The total prevalence of Lernaea was 26.66%. Lernaea had highest prevalence (37.5%) in 1000-1200g body weight of fish group, while it was lowest (16.66%) in 100-300g body weight fish group. Lernaea showed highest prevalence (33.33%) in fish length group of 66-85cm, while the least prevalence (14.28%) existed in 25-45cm fish length group. It was also observed that Lernaea showed seasonal variations and it was maximum in winter, (33.33%) in January and minimum in spring and summer (20%) in March and (0%) in April. Conclusions: The results indicated that Singhari fish with more weight and long length had more prevalence of infection as compared to less weight and shorter length. This could be due to access of greater area available to parasites for anchoring and hiding on the large sized fish.

Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan India Gas Pipeline and Foreign Policy of Pakistan

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan India gas pipeline project is a component of an extensive plan to develop Asia’s interconnected energy systems. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline has a significant impact on energy security and regional integration in South Asia. This gas pipeline project can address the growing energy demand of the region. However, due to the volatility in the political landscape of South Asia and the complexity of large-scale energy projects, the project is facing a number of critical challenges that need the focus of the regional partners and stakeholders. The limited literature on the TAP gas pipeline project has focused on security hurdles to the projects from the member countries’ perspective. The research study found that the main hurdle to executing the TAP gas pipeline project in Pakistan is the country’s internal issues, a lack of investments, lack of financial resources, international pressure, the country’s regional issues and the dynamics of changing regional situations. The research study is proposed to be useful for policymakers to evaluate the implication of energy import dependency and to frame foreign policy.

Pakistani Viewpoint - Shahid Malik High Commissioner of Pakistan in India

President PHD Chamber, Mr Sanjay Bhatia, Distinguished Members of the Chamber, Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me immense pleasure to be amongst you once again, after nearly a decade. Having served on an assignment in Delhi in the past, the PHD Chamber and many of your senior members present here today are well known to me. Given the geographical contiguity of this area with Pakistan and a history of economic linkages, the interest of the Chamber in seeking mutually beneficial economic relations with Pakistan is well known and understandable. Only last month, a delegation headed by Mr Bhatia, with past PHD Presidents as its members, undertook a tour of EXPO-2007 to Karachi. As on various occasions in the past, the Chamber also hosted a high level delegation from the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently. Such contacts are useful and need to be encouraged.

Border, Pastoralism and Affect: Memories, Interactions and Cultural Transformations of Pastoralists in Western Rajasthan Borderlands

The demarcation of the India–Pakistan border on the western side of Rajasthan in 1947 had profound implications for the pastoral communities there. Based on an archival history of the Thar desert and ethnographic fieldwork in the border villages of Rajasthan, this paper explores how pastoralists interact with the border and the bordering practices of the state. Focusing on the Raika community, the paper examines how borders impact the mobility, identity and traditional life of the pastoralists. Building on Raika memories of mobility and connections across the border, the paper argues that the interactions of the pastoralists maintain an affective relationship with this war and violence affected borderland, despite the administrative practices of surveillance, border maintenance and developmental projects that have produced an environment of insecurity and uncertainty.

Cinema as a Discourse on Critical Geopolitics: The Imagery of India–Pakistan Borders in the Narratives of Bollywood Movies

ABSTRACT This paper attempts to map the modes by which cinematic narratives of select Hindi movies produced by Bollywood can be employed as a discourse on critical geopolitics. The focus is to understand how the representations of the India–Pakistan border in a select set of Hindi films tend to portray the psychology of cartographic fundamentalism. Situating the imagery of divided cartographies of the Indian Subcontinent in Hindi cinema, the paper looks at the ways in which the filmic narratives attempt to construct the psychology of border cleavages between India and Pakistan in the demotic consciousness of the viewers. Cinematic representations play a definitive role in constructing popular imagination regarding the issues of identity, refugee crisis and notions of cultural and psychic frontiers. The effects on collective imagination can be visualized by engaging with the narratives and powerful images that cinema is capable of presenting to the viewers. This in turn helps construct and deconstruct the popular notions by altering the dialectics of cognitive mapping. Placing our analysis in this conceptual framework, the paper examines how the psychology of divided cartographies gets inextricably linked to the nationalist construction of the image of India as the righteous self, and the portrait of Pakistan as the vicious other and country's primary enemy. The movies that have been analyzed in the paper are Border (1997), LoC (2003), Bajarangi Bhaijan (2015) and Filmistaan (2012). These movies have portrayed border as conflict-ridden non-porous zones. The paper employs discourse analysis as its methodology and discusses the cinematic reconstruction of the idea of the divided cartographies of the subcontinent on the foundations of the epistemic framework of critical geopolitics.

Indian Hybrid Warfare since 2008: Impacts on Pakistan Security

The study aims to highlight the Indian Hybrid Warfare, post 2008 Mumbai attack and its likely impact on Pakistan Security. The study succeeds in the Exploratory, Descriptive, and Predictive data analysis approaches. Both primary and secondary data was used to elaborate different aspects of the entire study. This study conducted Structured Interviews of Pakistani, Indian and Western retired military officers, diplomats, academicians with expertise in strategic studies. Hybrid warfare is not a new thing but it comes from centuries like a strategy and comes out with different perspectives. We know that India Pakistan is involve in this hybrid strategy from centuries against one another. Since 1947 tell now we can do Covert operations against one another. So, it is not a new concept in our context but in 2008 when Mumbai attack happened against India. So, from post 2008 the change which occurred in Indian hybrid strategy was phenomenal because before this such changes never happened which Impact on Pakistan Security However, the risk of limited war under the nuclear umbrella cannot be ruled out. Pakistan needs to improve its conventional deterrence to make it costly any misadventure by India. The prospects of direct military confrontation between India and Pakistan would decrease with an effective conventional answer by Pakistan. The study argues that, the hybrid warfare strategy has been more successful as compared to direct military engagement. Therefore, it is expected that this trend would continue unless Pakistan overcomes its political, socio-economic and ethno-religious vulnerabilities. The study determines that India and Pakistan cannot win against each other in any direct or indirect military confrontation, however it is advisable that both states must overcome their differences, resolve outstanding issues through consistent dialogue process in an amicable way for long term peace and stability in South Asia.