Speakers fear rise of Hindu nationalism may impact regional peace

Islamabad : Scholars worry that the surge of Hindu nationalism in India would not only have domestic implications for the country but could also have serious repercussions for regional peace and security.

They were speaking at a seminar on ‘India’s Strategic Posture and Implications for Stability in South Asia,’ which had been organised by Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) in collaboration with the University of Sargodha.

The seminar was held as part of CISS-outreach programme aimed at engaging with students and faculty of universities located outside Islamabad. The CISS-outreach programme focusses on strategic and nuclear issues.

The ruling BJP had campaigned in this year’s polls on a hardline Hindu nationalist agenda. Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, since his re-election, stepped up efforts for empowering Hindu majority at the cost of other minorities, particularly Muslims.

Speaking on the occasion, formerly senior official of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Khalid Banuri, observed that the rise of ultra-nationalism was a grave challenge to global and regional stability. “Regionally, India’s rising extremism reflected in Hindutva is a dangerous trend and needs to be countered with Pakistan’s aggressive diplomacy sustained over a long period of time,” he maintained.

Recalling the Balakot stand-off, Banuri said that Pakistan’s “proportionate and calculated” response to India’s “failed” strikes demonstrated the capability and will to respond to aggression using conventional means. The response, he contended, also proved wrong the Indian assumption that Pakistan would exercise restraint and not respond.

Talking about failed Balakot strikes, Dr. Sultan said, Pakistan’s response manifested that it has adequate conventional responses while busting the popular myth that Pakistan is a trigger-happy country which, when attacked conventionally, would respond with nuclear weapons.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sargodha Dr. Ishtiaque Ahmed said that unfolding events in India show that Indian policies are based on racism; ethnic and racial exclusiveness; and suppression and victimization of minorities.

Earlier, while delivering the welcome note, the Executive Director of CISS Ali Sarwar Naqvi said, “The strategic picture in the region remains worrisome as the region experiences intense security competition.

Senior Research Fellow at CISS Dr. Mansoor Ahmed spoke about the status of the balance of conventional forces and force modernization underway in India and Pakistan. He underscored the need for Pakistan to invest in maintaining a credible conventional deterrence posture that supplements its strategic forces as part of full spectrum deterrence.