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Gerald Peiris’s POLITICAL CONFLICT IN SOUTH ASIA …. 2013

Details of this book  POLITICAL CONFLICT IN SOUTH ASIA, University of Peradeniya publication, 2013 …………. ISBN – 978-955-589-169-1………..Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher,  The Vice-Chancellor, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Printed by Balin & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd.  61, D. S. Senanayake Street, Kandy, Sri Lanka +94 0817429050 ……………. Fax. +94 081 2222584 ………………………… Cover design: Dr. Manjula Peiri

Respectfully dedicated to the memory of Sir Nicholas Atygalle, Vice Chancellor of the University Ceylon (1955-66),  and my teachers: Karthigesu Kularatnam & George Thambyahpillay at Peradeniya, and Bertram Hughes Farmer at Cambridge

 

 

CONTENTS
Preface                                                                                                              i-v
Part I – Regional Overview
Chapter 1

 

 South Asia: Violent Political Confrontations 1
1.1 Challenges of Nation-Building 1
1.2 Extra-Regional Conflicts 4
1.3 Conflicts between South Asian States 8
1.4 Sub-National Conflicts 11
 
Chapter 2 South Asia: Impulses of Political Conflict 21
2.1 State Formation: Colonial Legacies 21
2.2 Poverty and Political Conflict 26
2.3 Youth Unrest and Political Conflict 33
2.4 Impact of Corruption 41
2.5 Ethnic Ingredients of Conflict 44
2.6 Associational Identities 52
2.7 Migration, Displacement and Conflict 53
 2.8 External Interventions in Conflict 57
 

Part II – Country Profiles
Chapter 3 Ethnic and Poverty Dimensions of Conflict in India 62
3.1 Religion and Group Identity 62
3.2 Hindu-Muslim Confrontations 67
3.3 Religion in Other Conflict Situations 75
3.4 Challenges of Linguistic Heterogeneity 78
3.5 Caste Identities and Political Conflict 88
3.6 Tribal Identities and Political Conflict 95
3.7 Anti-Systemic Insurrection: A Gathering Storm? 105
Chapter 4    Bangladesh: Oppression, Poverty and Conflict                      109
4.1 Basic Ingredients of Instability 109
4.2 Cultural Identity and Bengali Nationalism 110
4.3 Hindu-Muslim Rivalry in Pre-Partition Bengal 111
4.4 Linguistic Nationalism in ‘East Pakistan’ 112
4.5 External Relations and Political Conflict 115
4.6 Ethnic Conflict: Religion, Language and Tribe 119
4.7 Instability of Governance 127
4.8 Culture of Violence 131
4.9 Economic Dimensions of Political Violence 145
 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

  

 

Pakistan: Survival in Perpetual Conflict

  

 

 

 

149
5.1 Nation-Building on Unstable Foundations 149
5.2 Insurrections on the ‘Western Front’ 158
5.3 Re-Configured Pakistan: Renewed Hope 166
5.4 Religious Sectarianism as a Divisive Force 167
5.5 Language and Ethnic Conflict 170
5.6 ‘Militarization’ and ‘Punjabization’ of the Polity 174
5.7 Terrorism, Vice and Crime 179
Chapter 6 Nepal: Pursuit of Liberty and Stability 184
6.1 Impediments to Modernisation 184
6.2 Legacy of Despotism 186
6.3 Restored Shah Monarchy 189
6.4 Struggle for Democracy 195
6.5 ‘Maoist’ Insurgency 199
6.6 Ethnic Conflict 205
Chapter 7 Sri Lanka: Discontent and Confrontational Violence 211
7.1 Ethnic Diversities and Political Conflict 211
7.2 ‘Associational’ Groupings in Political Conflict 220
7.3 ‘Revolutionary’ Insurrections 225
7.4 Estrangement of Ethnic Relations 237
7.5 ‘Eelam Wars’ 241
 

                         Part III – Case Studies of Conflict Situations

  
Chapter  8 Kashmir Imbroglio 254
8.1 Geographical Setting 254
8.2 Roots of the Kashmir Dispute 254
8.3 Indo-Pakistan Wars over Kashmir 257
8.4 Terrorism in Kashmir 267
Chapter 9 Khalistan: Failed Secessionist Campaign 271
9.1 Sikh Identity and Nationalism 271
9.2 Autonomy Demands and Responses 277
9.3 Khalistan Insurrection 281
9.4 Political Economy of the Punjab Conflict 286
9.5 Failures in Centre-State Relations 289
 

Chapter 10

  

Making of Bangladesh: Successful Secession

  

291
10.1 Linguistic Impulses of Secessionism 291
10.2 Economic Discrimination and Exploitation 294
10.3 Political Marginalisation 297
10.4 Liberation of ‘East Pakistan’ 301
 

Chapter 11

  

Youth in Revolt: Sri Lanka Experiences

  

304
11.1 Identifying the ‘Youth’ in Sri Lanka 304
11.2 Economic Marginalisation of Youth 307
11.3 Governance and Youth Unrest 308
11.4 Youth Responses 311
11.5 Relevance of the Focus on Youth 320
References 324
Index 345

 

List of Figures

 
1.1 Principal venues of four types of political conflict in South Asia 5
2.1 Political Arrangements in South Asia, c. 1770 22
2.2 The British Indian Empire on the Eve of Its Collapse 23
2.3 India: Inter-State Variations in ‘Multi-Dimensional Poverty Indices 28
3.1 India in 1951: Before ‘Re-Organisation of States’ 82
3.2 Evolution of the States Network of the Indian Federation 83
3.3 Main Militant Groups in India’s North-East 100
3.4 Major ‘Naxalite’ Strikes (1967-1973); and areas affected by

‘People’s War Group’ insurrections (late 1990s onwards)

  

107
4.1 Bangladesh: Geographical Layout 118
5.1 Pukhtun Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan 159
5.2 Pakistan: Units of the Federation and Main Cities 167
6.1 Geomorphic Layout and Geographical Regions of Nepal 185
6.2 Nepal: Cities, and Insurgent Strongholds of 1996-2006 201
7.1 Sri Lanka: Provinces, Districts and Main Towns 213
7.2 Sri Lanka: Spatial Distribution of the Main Ethic Groups 214
7.3 Final Stages of the ‘Eelam Wars’, April 2008 – May 2009 251
8.1 Kashmir after the ‘Simla Agreement’ of 1972 264
9.1 Punjab of ‘British India’, c. mid-1940s 274
9.2 Punjab after ‘State-Reorganisation’ in Northwest India, late 1960s 277
11.1 Sri Lanka: Intensity of Insurrectional Violence, 1986-1989 319

 ALSO NOTE ….. https://thuppahis.com/2022/01/27/gerald-peiris-his-work-on-agriculture-in-sri-lankas-economy/  …. 

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