Zubair Qureshi
The rising Hindutva hyper-nationalism in India is no longer a domestic issue of the country rather it is spilling over to become a regional flashpoint and has global implications. The region’s stability is threatened because of the current situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
This threat was highlighted by leading security experts and defence analysts at a seminar “Expansionist Hindu Nationalism and Nuclear Politics” organized by Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research (CSCR) held at a local hotel here on Thursday.
The speakers included Lt General (R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, former secretary defence, Lt General (R) Asif Yaseen Malik, former defence secretary, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, School of Politics & IR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Dr Salma Malik, Department of Defence & Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banori, Adviser, Arms Control & Disarmament Affairs (ACDA), Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Sultan M Hali, Author of ‘Rising Hindutva & Its Impact on the Region,’ Brigadier (R) Dr Naeem Salik, former director, ACDA, Mansoor Ahmed, a researcher, Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and Anas Abdullah, president, CSCR.
They were of the consensus point that the international community has moved only when something really bad has happened to the world, e.g. German Nazism, South African apartheid, Rwandan genocide, etc. However we should not expect much from the international community regarding Kashmir despite continued exposition of Hindutva fascism in the IOK.
Dr Jaspal talked about the evolving nuclear posture of India under the influence of Hindutva. He said India has lost confidence in its conventional military capabilities against Pakistan that is why its leaders are frequently giving threats of ‘no-first use’ strategy in nuclear weapons domain.
Banuri said the rising Hindu fundamentalism is an Indian domestic issue but we being a neighbor may have to suffer, because of a spillover effect, just like other neighboring countries. According to him, Pakistan’s response towards Balakot was in strict adherence of self-defense as per international law.
He also gave a comparative analysis of BJP manifestoes of 2014 and 2019 election.
Sultan M Hali addressed the audience on the topic of syncretism of Hindutva with India’s external security calculus. He said Indi would be exposed only if the international community sent an unbiased fact-finding mission to the IOK. Even if India increases its military strength from 700,000 to seven million, it will not be able mitigate the intensity of freedom movement of Kashmir, he added.
The speakers and panelists called upon the world community to not wait for another historic humanitarian tragedy by letting India commit genocide against Kashmiris and act before it’s too late.
