Archive for the ‘South Asia’ Category
Hatred Is Disqualified Between India and Pakistan
Guest Post by Sidrah Zaheer. Sidrah is a freelance writer who likes to blog about her thoughts. She is a curious person and can’t keep ideas to herself unless she has shared them online somewhere. She is most interested in issues of political and social importance and often writes about them in her various posts. She is a complete movie buff and likes to keep in touch with the latest technology, especially in social media. You can follow her on Twitter and join her Facebook Page.
Whenever I have entered into a chat with an Indian, there have always been feelings of goodwill and kindness for each other as people. This mutual respect between the people of India and Pakistan who communicate online tells volumes about how deeply the people of both the countries admire and appreciate each other in actuality. This fact is unlike what the media often depicts the situation between people to be. I have found Indians to get more interested in knowing better about me as a Pakistani and also about my country. This indicates an attempt on their part to bridge the gaps and understand. If you have understood another human being, you have connected.
First of all, they are amazed to see that I know Urdu and can speak it fluently as my mother tongue. Indians admire Urdu language, or so at least has been my experience when I tell them that Urdu is my first language. The heritage of Urdu literature in India has unique position in its culture and history. The second fact that strikes them is to know that I am from Karachi, which is a city they must have heard a lot of things about; some good, some bad, but always arising a sense of wonderment about Karachiites. Karachi is not much different than one of India’s own largest cities, Mumbai. Hence, many common things come to the fore when sharing experiences about life in these metropolitans. I don’t for one understand how based on similarities of backgrounds from this perspective, people can differ. Click to continue…
16th SAARC Summit at Thimphu
The 16th SAARC Summit concluded in Thimphu, Bhutan last week. Two characteristics of South Asians strike me when leaders of SAARC nations meet. First, South Asians feel more comfortable in big crowds. Second, South Asians are highly entrepreneurial. The Thimphu Summit reaffirmed the impressions. Even though the SAARC Charter prohibits discussions on contentious bilateral issues, leaders of India and Pakistan feel most comfortable in conversing at sidelines of SAARC Summits. Despite slow progress of previously agreed cooperative projects, SAARC members do not shy away from undertaking new ventures at each summit meeting.
Why was Pakistan forced to launch an offensive while Sri Lanka was being asked to abandon it?
International news in the past week has been dominated by two important developments in South Asia: Sri Lankan Government’s action against the LTTE and Pakistan’s compliance of the Taliban’s expansion. Political and popular opinion across the globe condemned both developments and early this week Pakistan and Sri Lanka showed signs of reversing/halting the official policy. Following the developments in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, I have been pondering over the ironic situation the national governments are facing vis-à-vis the forces of violent socio-political opposition. The Pakistani Government is being criticized for not acting against the Taliban while the Sri Lankan Government is being criticized for launching an all out offensive against the LTTE. In dealing with the forces of extremism, the national governments are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t.
South Asia and the Fourth Wave of Democracy
The Third Wave of Democracy swept through South Asia accompanied with apprehensions and anticipation about how democracy would treat South Asia and how South Asia would treat democracy. This exciting interaction led to helpful answers and new questions regarding the prospects of democracy in the developing countries. South Asia’s reactions to the third wave and consequent developments can provide an insight into the design of the distinctive democratic models emerging across the globe. The third wave was characterized by five forms of regime change, three of which have been witnessed in South Asia. The relevant forms of regime change include:
- Cyclical- alteration between democracy and authoritarianism
- Second-Try Pattern: Weak democracy gives way to authoritarianism which is replaced by stronger democracy
- Interrupted Democracy: Temporary suspension of democratic system and then its resumption
Without exception, all countries of the South Asia region have demonstrated one of the above patterns during their political evolution. The commonality running through these patterns has been a matter of grave regional and international concern: the lack of sustainable democracy in South Asia. Authoritarianism makes an unfortunate return at regular intervals in most of the regional states. Political reforms during the present decade show encouraging signs of greater democratization among the South Asian states. The trials and tribulations of the past experiments and the present challenges reveal certain interesting characteristics of the regional democratic endeavour. The uniqueness of the ‘attempts at democracy’ in South Asia is not only an analytical challenge but also a rare lesson in the consistent desire for democracy despite recurring failure. The developments in South Asia mark the beginning of the Fourth wave of democracy: trial and error democracy to evolve appropriate variants of Western liberal democracy. This wave is inspired by the failure to duplicate the popular tenets of Western democracies, the attempts to align demands of identity and freedom in new democracies, proper balance of state guidance and individual freedom and a process which while maintaining the distinctiveness of various ethnic, religious and cultural diversities successfully undertakes the nation-building endeavour.
Political developments in each of the eight states are specimens for comprehending the future of the Fourth wave. The present discussion is not expected to be a historical narrative of democratic experiments in South Asia. It is an attempt to understand the democratic innovativeness, in response to national demands, and its consequent impact on the nature of the political systems in South Asia. Click to continue…
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - IV
Taliban as ‘new bargainers’ in Pakistan.
The Taliban in Pakistan have emerged as strategic bargainers since the democratic government has assumed office in the country. The democratic government’s compelling desire for stability as hallmark of its success has been exploited by the Taliban to the fullest. For now, the Taliban in Pakistan have bargained to exist and flourish in peace while the Government has bargained for a formal recognition of its scarcely acknowledged authority. The Taliban phenomenon is not new for Pakistan, what’s new is their ability and strategy to bargain with the Government authorities. Click to continue…
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia III
Karuna’s TMVP as ‘new bargainers’ in Sri Lanka
The fall of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu earlier this year signaled for many the end of major combat hostilities by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces in Sri Lanka. As the threat from the LTTE is receding there is hope for political reconciliation in the Island state ravaged by 25 years of civil war. President Mahindra Rajapaksa has assured the Tamilian population of the Government’s reconciliatory and welfare policies aimed at addressing the ethnic grievances. As the forces of reconciliation appear to take center stage certain disturbing developments continues to threaten Sri Lanka’s hazardous journey to peace. Click to continue…
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - II
Maoists as ‘new bargainers’ in Nepal
The Community Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) spearheaded the People’s War against the Monarchy in Nepal since 1996. The CPN-M shares its ideological philosophy with the tenets of Mao’s Communism and aspired to establish ‘people’s democracy’ in Nepal by overthrowing the monarchy and feudal elements dominating Nepal’s polity and society. Lenin and Mao’s communist ideology was contextualized as the “Prachanda Path” – politico-social philosophy elucidated by the party’s Chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda). 
The Maoists had adopted the tactic of guerilla rebellion to realize their objectives in Nepal leading to a decade of armed struggle between People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Government forces. Approximately 13,000 people lost heir lives and more than 100,000 were displaced in the PLA-National Army confrontation. Click to continue…
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - I
Mainstream politics in South Asia is undergoing a major transformation. Recent developments in the region indicate that elements from the extreme left, armed factions, separatist groups and the ideologically marginalized are entering mainstream politics. Is this transformation reflective of wider democratization or radicalization of politics? Click to continue…