SEVENTY-EIGHT years of statehood and the prospect of regional peace in the subcontinent remains as distant as ever. After a brief passage of possibility in the early 2000s, diplomatic polarisation and state and non-state conflict has returned as the norm. Recent social and political transformations in both India and Pakistan are cause for further divergence between state officials and between common citizens.

In India, the rise and entrenchment of aggressive right-wing nationalism has had several stark consequences for the region. Its ‘self-assured’ turn in foreign policy and posturing as a civilisational power has reduced the space for any concessions on cross-border issues. This posturing remains mostly for the domestic electorate. But by linking the idea of national success to displays of hard power — surgical strikes, cross-border interventions, supporting non-state actors — the space for critical viewpoints on foreign policy issues is closed down further.

Of greater concern is the widespread societal acceptance this particular brand of politics now receives in the country. The BJP’s success is based on selling the idea of economic growth (even in its skewed, top-biased nature) combined with cultural purification. The latter involves portraying Indian Muslims, first, as cultural deviants left by an external, invading force and, secondly, as betrayers due to their association with the creation of Pakistan.

This formula of otherisation may eventually reach its limits, but it has proven to be fairly successful in helping BJP and other Sangh affiliates retain their popularity in north India. There are........

© Dawn