ABSTRACT STATE-BUILDING AND INTERNAL SECURITY
IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN: THE NEED FOR A DOMESTIC CBM REGIME IN SOUTH ASIA FARHAN HANIF SIDDIQI*
The literature on CBMs in South Asia takes the 'inter-state'
perspective as its referent point for analysis. Taking the traditional hostility between India and Pakistan as the root cause of conflicts, the CBMs literature argues for military confidence building measures and
processes. Military CBMs acquired prominence especially after India and Pakistan came close to a war in 1990 because of escalation in the uprising in Jammu and Kashmir. Although 'inter-state' violence and conflicts are important, in the case of India and
Pakistan, it is the 'intra-state' perspective, which should be accorded analytical priority. India and Pakistan are a classic case of the failure of post-colonial states to solve internal political crises.
State-building in the post-colonial societies of India and Pakistan acquired importance, as without an adequate centralization of power and authority, governance would have been impossible. However, the problem in India
and Pakistan was compounded because an overt emphasis on state-building (especially, the bureaucracy and the military) led to a consequent decline in social cohesion resulting in multiple crises of national identity and
cultural integration. Unfortunately, the vast literature on CBMs fails to address this very important variable of state-building and internal security. Here it is argued that for peace to be guaranteed in the South
Asian region, the states of South Asia need to be reconceptualized in their proper context. The state has become a source of insecurity to the people of India and Pakistan rather than a provider of security. Here it is argued that the post-colonial states of India and Pakistan have failed to live up
to the expectations of the masses. This is evident from the frequent challenges that regional movements have posed to central governments and their authoritative rule. Moreover, the existing CBMs regime in South Asia,
will be more strengthened, once internal conflicts are solved in rational and prudent manner. Thus, there is a need for a domestic CBM regime in South Asia, which takes into account the demands of the less privileged
groups and linguistic-ethnic communities. It is argued that for peace to be maintained in South Asia, the solution of internal conflicts should take priority over any regional initiatives. A regional order characterized
by internal disorder will always be prone to chaos and conflict. The paper will try to answer the following questions:
1. How has the phenomenon of 'state-building' proceeded in India and Pakistan in the post-partition period? 2. Why have been state-building and internal security diametrically opposed to
each other in India and Pakistan?
3. What approaches and methodologies are prevalent in the current literature on CBMs? 4. What are the major faultlines and weaknesses in the current literature on CBMs?
5. How can a concept of domestic CBMs be fruitful both in literary discourse and future stability of the South Asian region?
* Lecturer, Department of International Relations, University of Karachi. List of Abstracts Workshop Main Page |
