Final Draft Thesis Paper.pdf - Brandeis University
Final Draft Thesis Paper.pdf - Brandeis University
Final Draft Thesis Paper.pdf - Brandeis University
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III. Partition:TheRootsofPakistaniIdentityProblemsIn1757,theBritishEastIndiaCompanyconqueredthelandthatisnowknownasIndiaandPakistanfromtheMughalDynasty.TheBritishoccupiedthelanduntil1947.Basedonthetwo‐nationtheory,“HindusandMuslimswholivedinIndiaweretwodistinct,different,andattimesantagonisticculturalentities….ThesetwoculturalentitiesinIndiahadahistoricalandcivilizationalbackdrop,anidentity,andaself‐imageoftheirown,havingdifferentsetsofcharacteristics,yet,inthecontextofIndianpolitics,eachone’sidentityandunitywasparasiticontheother”(Ahmed,56).Ignoringthedifferentculturesandethnicitiesthatfellunderneath“Hindu”and“Muslim”,theBritishpartitionedthelargelandmassintoIndia,astateforHindus,andPakistan,astateforMuslims.TheregionknownasKashmirremainedadisputedterritory.In1965,thetensionsoverKashmirleadtofull‐scalewar.ThedisputeoverKashmirstillremainsineffecttoday,andoftenleadstocyclesofreoccurringviolence(Ahmed,58).TheBritishfirstbegantheirruleoverIndiain1857.ThediversityofIndia’spopulationhascreatedtensionsandpoliticalproblemsforIndiabeforeitsindependencefromtheBritishontheAugust15,1947.TerrorismcommittedbyradicalHindufactionswasprominentinIndiapriorto1939.Theviolenceforthemostpart,targetedtheirBritishoccupiers.However,aftertheyears1939andparticularly1945,Muslims,SikhsandafewradicalHindugroupspredominantlybegantouseterrorismasameanstoreachtheirpoliticalobjectives(Laqueur,150).25