20 January 2021, NIICE Commentary 6729
Kura Sunaina
South Asia is a land of diverse ethnicity and deep-rooted culture. As we explore the region’s eight nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – we realise that the region contains a bewildering number of ethnic groups that are based on the multidimensional mixture of various linguistic, religious, sub-regional, cultural, and tribal identities. The colonial powers have also defined the political demarcations between the countries of this region. Today, after almost seventy years of colonisation in almost all of these countries, diversity still plays a significant role in shaping the nation. In the globalised world, diversity can be seen as a boon but there were and still are times, when diversity isn’t celebrated.
Ethno-Nationalistic Movements
All the countries in this region have had their share of ethno-nationalistic movements. It is inevitable to not have such movements owing to the deep diversity. Nonetheless, these movements haven’t been smooth in many cases. The rise and fall of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil separatist movement in Sri Lanka is one such movement. This was primarily between the Tamil minority and the Buddhist Sinhalese. This movement ended with the fall of LTTE after they were crushed by the state’s military. Yet, even today, we can find the differences. Another example of an ethno-nationalist movement is the conflict of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. The CHT is home to over a dozen indigenous tribes collectively known as the Jumma. The conflict here was a consequence of Bangladesh state’s attempt to impose a unitary, hegemonic construction of national identity on the populace. There were many human rights violations that have been committed mostly by the Bangladeshi security forces and Bengali settlers.
Baluchistan, Pakistan is also a region of highly contested ethno-nationalist movement. This largest province of Pakistan is sparsely populated by the Baluch ethnic group. This ethnic group complains of the ‘internal colonialism’ that has been taking place for a long time now. Pakistan state has been extracting the minerals and natural resources of this region. Despite the economic benefit of this region, it was highly neglected by the state and least developed. Afghanistan, known world over for its disturbed state has ethno-nationalistic movements. The dynamics and intricacies of Pashtun ethnonationalism and Taliban insurgency in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and its bordering tribal areas of Pakistan have been of great concern for a long time until recently when Taliban and the government of Afghanistan sought to come to terms with each other.
Ethno-Nationalistic Movements – India in Focus
Amidst all the changes and ethnic movements in the region, India, too holds a great many ethno-nationalist movements. India homes one of the most complex diversity with various races, over 1600 languages, multiple religions and to top it all, we have the caste system. Since independence, there have been many issues concerning various diversities that India holds. Here are a few ethno-nationalist movements:
The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the wider “Assam problem”
The conflict stems from two interrelated issues: the influx of Bengali- speaking immigrants and the inability of central political elites to accommodate the regional patriotism of Assamese speakers within the nation-state. Indian the state failed to resolve the problem and even today, we encounter extreme violence and movements happening.
Sikh Separatism in Punjab
The movement for a separate Sikh state, Khalistan, raged in Punjab from the mid-1980s to its demise in the early/mid-1990s. The separatist insurgency was crushed by the Indian state, without resolution of the issues. Sikh separatism is not likely to re-emerge in the immediate future because of structural changes within the Indian political system.
The Gorkhaland Movement in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal
The multitude of insurgencies in India’s remote and highly diverse Northeast region has always been high. This could primarily be due to the negligence these states have received. The center has sought to paradoxical strategy to overcome these movements in these states.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir
The state of Jammu and Kashmir, now Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Leh, has a long history for its diverse ethnicities and disturbances. The region primarily comprises of Muslims in the Kashmir region and Hindus in the Jammu region with Buddhist presence in the Leh region. There have been man instances of insurgencies and clashes with the Indian state.
In the past five-six years, India has seen a rise in the ethno-nationalist disturbances. The call for oneness and a particular kind of nationalism has questioned the existence of diversity in the nation. The legislations like – revocation of Section 370, Beef ban, CAA-NRC, ban of dog meat, have questioned the tolerance of diversity in present India. These legislations have had devastating impacts on the populace with long protests in the state capital. The increased insistence of Hindi as the language of the nation has made the populace sceptical of the co-existence of various ethnicities. The feeling of being ignored by the North East Indians has given rise to the region’s people chanting slogans of ‘Hello China, Bye Bye India.’ Instances mentioned above have given rise to the question of diversity being a boon or a bane.
Is Diversity a Boon or a Bane?
Having an idea of the region’s past and on-going disturbances, the larger question in hand is how good is diversity? Diversity in today’s world is an important aspect. Diversity can never be a bane to society. Diversity helps improve a country’s tolerance to change and more accepting of the changing world order. It helps countries to have an inclusive idea of the state. Not only is it socially beneficial but also economically. Diversity enhances different professions practiced in the regions and helps in overall economic growth is supported by the state. Of course, political peace is difficult to achieve, but, when we look at history, we realise that each region has tried to achieve an amicable society amidst diversity. Nonetheless, these amicable societies haven’t come into existence peacefully. There were instances of bloodshed, ages of differences and still continuing differences. But, society always moves towards its betterment. Globalization, not only made all the countries economically dependent on each other for the greater good of all but has also brought the idea of international citizenship. With this idea, we could build a world more tolerant of diversity.
