Dimensions of Violence in South Asia: The Indian Context

Abstract

As a result of the division of Indian sub-continent Pakistan was created as a sovereign, independent country in August 1947 while its eastern part became independent in December 1971 and formed the independent country called Bangladesh. The three independent countries of South Asia Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have a Muslim majority population following Islam actively while India is a Hindu majority country having the followers of different religions. Although five countries–India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have the tradition of political violence the problem of terrorism erupted in last four decades. It is a region of Jihadi–dominated terrorism which is nowhere near containment and it propagates the pernicious ideology of hate, revenge, and violence. It treats all conflicts with non-Muslims worthy of Jihadi and even considers liberal Islamic regimes, organisations and individuals as unIslamic. In most of the countries there are anti–terror laws but lack of political will to take effective and stern action against the terrorist have made the laws useless or partially useful.