Divide and Rule on Religion, of course
Hello, everyone. Good morning, afternoon or evening, and welcome to this edition of Notes from South Asia. You can find all the articles in the series here (along with my other diaries).
Today I will cover election manipulation in India, Taliban’s governance in Afghanistan and current governance in Pakistan.
PS: Good to see last week’s post worked. :)
India
Election Interference
Americans will be familiar with this: voter intimidation and suppression that reduces voter turnout in minority majority areas leading to loss for the minority supported candidate. Supriya Sharma reports for the Scroll that that is exactly what is happening in some districts in Western UP.
The story talks about votes going wrong—cast for BJP even when the voter presses button for the opposition—of course, but I think meat is in the voter intimidation.
However, on the ground in western Uttar Pradesh, EVMs are not the sole cause of worry. Rather, Muslim complaints here echo the findings of the much-discussed research paper by economist Sabyasachi Das, who found there was good reason to suspect both voter lists and turnouts had been manipulated in constituencies that saw close contests in the 2019 elections.
In Rampur, voters say these aren’t simply fears – this is their lived experience.
A pocket borough of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, the constituency has the highest share of Muslim voters in UP, just over 50%. In the smaller assembly constituency area, their number goes up to nearly 65%.
In a bye-election in December 2022, necessitated by Azam Khan’s disqualification from the Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party wrested its first-ever victory here, amid widespread allegations that Muslim voters had been denied a chance to vote – allegations denied by the state government and by the Election Commission.
Just look at the police.
I am impressed that Sabyascahi Das—who got reprimanded, or if I remember correctly was thrown out of his university for this paper (yeah, checked, he was forced to resign)—who had based his working paper on statistics got this so right. Anyways, look at what happened.
But booth-level data, as reported by the Indian Express, was revelatory: in Muslim areas, voter turnout in some booths plunged to a low of 4%-5%, while it was as high as 80% in booths in Hindu areas.
A year and a half later, Muslim voters still vividly recall how the police blocked their paths to the polling booth, spreading dehshat, or terror.
“It seemed like there was a curfew,” said a handicrafts entrepreneur. “There were police everywhere, as if this was Jammu and Kashmir, or a Naxal area.”
“If you were in a burqa, the police would stop you repeatedly,” his wife recalled. “Show your fingers, they would say, using abusive language, hitting their batons on the ground in a threatening way.” While she managed to cast her vote, her sister-in-law scurried back in fear. So did an elderly neighbour, who was hit on the legs by police batons.
In Naxal dominated areas (where you have armed Maoists called Naxals fighting), Maoists use threats against people to keep them from voting. So voter participation is usually low. In J&K, it happens both because of militants and because of people’s dissatisfaction. That is what the entrepreneur is referring to above.
Aside: Naxalites are called as such because their movement—based on militant communism looking to precipitate armed revolution—started in a region of West Bengal called Naxalbari. Their presence in central India, in tribal areas, have been very strong though Tribals are as unhappy with them (they are pretty violent towards the villagers) as the state (who instead of protecting them treat them as Naxal supporters or resources to be exploited).
Back to the subject at hand: in addition to Muslim voter suppression, they are also seeing bogus Hindu names in voter lists.
Anyways, you get the idea. UP was not used to it until the BJP dominance of the past decade. That is what the people are saying.
Manipur: State Against Kuki-Zo
Meanwhile, in Manipur, Kuki-Zo communities feel that the state is in battle with them. Feature by Greeshma Kuthar who said on twitter that none of the mainstream newspapers or magazines agreed to print this article.
A video first surfaced within Manipur in July of 2023, where I could see two women being paraded naked by a mob of men. The video was of an incident that had occurred on May 4. The fact that it took two and a half months for the incident to be reported by any mainstream journalistic organisation, isn’t the only aspect that is shocking. An FIR registered by the affected families in May mentioned the presence of the state police during the incident. Yet, the brutal act was left to fester as if it never occurred. “In 2006, 21 Hmar women were sexually assaulted by Meitei insurgents. Tribal women have borne the brunt of several such cases, yet in those cases, we could attempt to at least arrest the culprits as we were considered part of the state. It is different now. The state government is fighting us. The question of dignity or justice for us is absent,” said Jessica Mawi, a writer from the community. [...]
In the weeks following the video going viral, national and international media organisations were suddenly flooding Manipur – demanding that they be allowed to meet and talk to victims of sexual abuse, forcing them to recount their abuse on camera. During one such pursuit by an international agency, I witnessed a few Kuki-Zo women leaders fighting back by refusing to agree to such representation and insisting that the victim’s lawyer be interviewed instead. But their opinion wasn’t taken into consideration. Male leaders from the community who had permitted such interactions before, almost oblivious of the problematic nature of such interviews, said, “The women have already given interviews; how does a few more matter?” The men took the journalists to the victim, and she was made to recount how she was sexually assaulted in Imphal all over again.
Whether this is a women’s issue, a tribal issue, a human rights issue, a Manipur issue, or a national issue hasn’t necessitated any inquiry of ‘why the dignity of these women, being subject to such treatment and representation, didn’t figure in bringing the conflict to an end’. As I attended different protests organised by other communities in the following weeks, a few Meitei women I spoke to were quick to condemn the incident in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately, these were just a handful. A majority of women I spoke to justified the incident, indulging in slut-shaming Kuki-Zo women and alleging that tribal women are used to being ‘loose’1. There were also insensitive appeals by Meitei men urging their women to come forward with accounts of sexual assault by Kuki men to ‘protect the dignity of the community’. One Meitei lady from Bishnupur eventually registered an FIR, stating that she was sexually assaulted, leading to the involvement of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is currently probing all cases of sexual assault. Protests by Naga women groups condemned the incident but were reluctant to question its structural nature. While decrying it as a failure of the police apparatus, they declined to get involved with the inquiry of how huge mobs were emboldened by the Manipur state to carry out such an act. While there had been an instance of Naga women students being molested before and more Naga women were subject to violence in the Valley in the months to follow, civil society organisations orchestrated out-of-courts settlements, and the issues quickly closed. The victims I spoke to told me that they were opposed to this, questioning why their self-respect and dignity weren’t considered important to address.
Interesting but not surprising that the Kuki Men are also involved in refusing to see how this consistent media focus—without adequate care for the victims—hurts the women. Men have always used sexual assault on women from their own communities to either justify themselves or attack people from other communities. The same is the case for Meitei men too apparently. And look at the Naga men trying to go for out of court/police settlement so that they can remain out of the fray, once again, ignoring the victims’ own need for dignity.
And yet women of these communities support them (look at Meitei women) over solidarity across communities.
This is apart from the fact that of course Kuki-Zo community as a whole, including men, are bearing the brunt of the state-sanctioned targeted violence and have been for some time (including before May 3rd.)
What Does the Indian Voter Think?
I think the Indian voter has not yet made the link between authoritarianism, religious violence, and their voting choices.
The CSDS-Lokniti survey reports published today in the Hindu say that over 77% of Hindus and 80+ of other communities think India belongs to everyone not just Hindus. Only 11% think India should be a Hindu nation. The trend is true across caste groups and classes, though there are slight variations in degree between people with college degrees and not, urban and rural etc. (Nirmanyu Chouhan, Sanjeer Alam reports).
Note: You can find more about Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) Lokniti survey here.
The findings reveal that an overwhelming majority of respondents (79%) appeared to support the idea that India belongs to all religions equally and not just Hindus; that it must remain a country where people following different religions can live and practice their faith freely. This remarkable support for religious pluralism shows that religious tolerance continues to be a defining element of the social fabric.
It is natural for religious minorities to lay emphasis on religious pluralism. But the view that India belongs to followers of all religions is also held by members of the majority religion. Nearly eight in every 10 Hindus said that they have faith in religious pluralism. Only 11% of Hindus said that they think that India is nation of Hindus.
What is more reassuring is that more more young people (81%) than old (73%) were inclined to put premium on religious pluralism. Although the support for religious tolerance is high across the social spectrum, educational qualifications makes a difference. Compared with 72% of those who were unschooled, 83% of highly educated people said that they were in favour of equal status of all religions.
Only 22% think that Ram Temple was the most liked policy of the BJP government though far more people think that the policy will consolidate Hindu votes (neither indicates how they personally see the policy). Suhas Palshikar reports (reports is perhaps a wrong word since he is analysing/interpreting survey results).
In the survey, when asked to name the ‘most liked action’ of this government, over 22% of the respondents mentioned the construction of the Ram Mandir. Nearly half the respondents said that the construction of the temple will help in consolidating Hindu identity (Table 1). This assessment was upheld more by Hindus than non-Hindus (Table 2).
This assessment was prevalent more among men than women (49% men as opposed to 46% women believed that it will consolidate Hindu identity). The rich and the Hindu upper castes, followed by the middle classes and Hindu Other Backward Classes were more likely to believe that the Ram Mandir will consolidate Hindu identity (Table 3). This assessment was upheld more by rural respondents (50%) compared to urban respondents and the youth (52%). Also, the view that the temple will consolidate Hindu identity was held by more respondents in the country’s north and west compared to the east and the south (Table 4).
Suhas Palshikar taught political science and is chief editor of Studies in Indian Politics
*Probably a typo in the bolded part or they mean urban and youth together? I suppose they will correct the online version if so.
A greater percent have lost trust in Election Commission of India since 2019, feel that investigative agencies are being weaponised and a good percentage of even BJP voters feel that BJP is as nepotistic as other parties.
A majority of even the privileged caste groups think that affirmative action should include both Hindus and Muslims—this is in contrast to the dominant narrative and spin by media, a few others, and BJP that says that only Hindu Dalits and Tribals should get the benefit of reserved seats (they want people who convert lose reservation thus forcing them not to convert; this is apart from laws that have come up in the past decade against conversion).
And yet, how are they voting?
My talks with my relatives also kind of reinforce this point for me. A few are hardcore Islamophobic but most do not seem to make the connection between BJP’s rhetoric, religious violence, and long term effect on Indian society or alienation of Muslims (they see it as isolated incidents or something nobody can control). I don’t think some of them realize Ram temple is a polarising issue either. I was asked to stop speaking in my family group after I kept pointing out that it (the temple) is fascist and wrong (only one uncle, but still; nobody spoke up in my support). How can you believe India simultaneously belong to all religions and then decide destroying a mosque to build a temple is a good thing?
They may be lying about one or the other, but I think it is is more likely that they can hold contradictory thoughts in their heads.
Oh note that this is survey across 19 states of India. There would likely be variations between regions.
Sigh, I can only hope that anti-incumbency wins the day and decade for India.
Afghanistan
Tension and Trade with Pakistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan have had some border tensions following terrorist attacks in Pakistan that Pakistan blames on cross-border terrorist groups. Pakistan even conducted an operation over the border—killing civilians as per the Taliban—and the Afghan forces in return attacked Pakistani border checkpoints.
However, AP reports that Pakistani trade delegation visited Kabul late March.
A delegation from Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce arrived in Kabul on Monday to meet its Afghan counterparts to discuss how to improve trade relations, after tensions have risen over cross-border militant attacks.
Last week, Pakistan’s military carried out rare airstrikes against suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, killing eight people and prompting Afghan forces to return fire.
The March 18 exchange came after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing and coordinated attack in northwest Pakistan. It had further strained ties between the sides, and officials believe that Monday's visit by a senior bureaucrat, Mohammad Khurram, will play a role in easing tensions.
In Kabul, Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for the Afghan Commerce Ministry, said that the Pakistani delegation had arrived at the invitation of Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said the visit was aimed at promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained in recent years mainly because of Kabul's backing for the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and are a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban. However, TTP is an ally of the Afghan Taliban and it has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout.
The Afghan Taliban say they do not allow TTP to use Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan.
Minoritised People in Pakistan
Kallol Bhattacherjee reports for the Hindu that the Taliban have promised Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan that their properties that have been stolen by war lords will be returned to them.
The “Justice Ministry” of the Taliban in Kabul has started restoring property to displaced members of the Hindu and Sikh communities, a senior Taliban official has told The Hindu.
Suhail Shaheen, Head of the Political Office of the Taliban said, the outfit had set up a commission to ensure return of Hindu and Sikh families who have played a historic role in the economy of Afghanistan.
“A commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been established to return to their owners all properties which had been usurped by warlords during the former regime,” said Mr. Shaheen in a written answer to The Hindu. Mr. Shaheen drew attention to the recent return of Narender Singh Khalsa, a member of the parliament of Afghanistan that was dissolved with the takeover of the country by the Taliban in August 2021.
According to the Netherlands-based Afghan commentator Sangar Paykhar, Narender Singh Khalsa who had taken refuge in Canada returned to Afghanistan following an initiative by the Contact Commission with Afghan personalities. According to Mr. Paykhar, the return of Mr. Khalsa and his family signaled, “a warm welcome for displaced leaders of religious minorities seeking to return to their homeland.”
Mr. Khalsa is the son of Awtar Singh Khalsa, a notable member of Afghan Sikh community who was killed in a suicide attack in 2018 when he was campaigning to become a member of Parliament. The attack was claimed by fighters of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) who subsequently carried out a number of attacks on minorities in Afghanistan including the 2022 attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul in which several Sikhs were killed. Conditions became so difficult that the last two ‘swaroops’ of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib were taken from Kabul to Delhi in January 2023. Most of these incidents were blamed upon the ISKP, which is understandably positioning itself as a challenger to the Taliban.
We will see if they persist with the policy. Many Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan—around 1%—left after Taliban came to power (people started leaving post Russian attack in 1970s). Some of them apparently are being welcomed back.
What about the women though?
After Earthquake
Al Jazeera has a video report—well two, one being a small newsfeed item—on the condition of Afghans six months after the earth quake in October.
There was another program three weeks back about the difficulty Afghans in the area face rebuilding their homes. Also two minutes plus long.
Pakistan
Economy
Only editorials from Dawn today (since opinion pieces are about eclipse (in US) and Gaza; mostly Gaza). An editorial talks about Saudi investment in Pakistan.
CONSIDERING the decades-old ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, it is not surprising that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chose to visit the kingdom as his first foreign destination since returning to power.
Along with visiting the holy cities for pilgrimage, Mr Sharif met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, in Makkah on Sunday. A variety of topics were discussed between the two leaders. Perhaps the most important points from the joint readout issued after the meeting were talk of “expediting” Saudi investment in Pakistan, and Riyadh’s desire to see “peace and stability” in the subcontinent.
The figure mentioned for Saudi investment, after the meeting, was $5bn. Earlier the Saudis had pledged to bring $25bn to Pakistan through the military-backed Special Investment Facilitation Council. It has not been specified where Riyadh will put its money, but it is said the Saudi funds could end up in mining, specifically the Reko Diq project, while the Arab state is also reportedly interested in other sectors. Meanwhile, “the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India” was stressed during the meeting, indicating a possible Saudi role to facilitate de-escalation of tensions in South Asia.
The dawn says while there has been talk of investment, there has been no sign of the money. And that Pakistan needs to do better to attract investment.
But whether it is the Saudis or someone else, if we want foreign countries to invest in Pakistan, three things are essential: political stability, security guarantees, and continuity of economic policies. Unless there is continuity and consonance on all these fronts, few will be willing to put their funds into Pakistani projects.
Teacher Well Being
Neda Mulji writes about improving the well being of teachers in Pakistan. (I did find an opinion piece after all not on Gaza).
WITH overworked and underpaid professionals, the teaching profession has earned itself a bad name. Many schools have to contend with disgruntled employees who have to get by with a second job or rely on a spouse’s earnings. Teachers have to keep themselves motivated riding on the gratification they get from developing potential in their students and enabling their academic success. Things could change if schools were to take responsibility for their teachers’ well-being.
If we wish to create a ‘positive’ school culture where the pupils’ health, safety and emotional and social well-being are catered to, it is imperative that teachers learn the tools for self-care. Most teachers complain of a sub-optimal work-life balance but don’t take steps to rectify it. They have their own home lives, children and extended families, as well as pupils that they are responsible for. In this mix, well-being programmes are essential for teachers to remain motivated, sustain a healthy mindset and model the right behaviour in class.
A commitment to continuous professional development would lead to a focus-oriented approach to improve teacher capability and well-being. Supporting teachers’ work and helping them upgrade their pedagogical skills can strengthen school culture. The ultimate beneficiaries would be our students.
School leaders can establish a range of teacher well-being programmes, from organising socialising opportunities outside of school to partnering with third parties to offer wellness sessions during the school week. Taking away some of the extra responsibilities, such as substitution — or providing monetary compensation for it — can reduce the pressure. Many schools require extensive lesson plans that take up substantial time beyond school hours and, whilst lesson plans are important, free slots during the school day can be created for the purpose.
17 people were killed when a truck fell into a ravine in Balochistan but I think that is news I should give in comments because there is no analysis there.
That is it for today. More in comments. Until, next Friday everyone. Stay safe. Be well. Take care.
May the voting public everywhere vote out fascism and authoritarianism (or keep it at bay as the case may be).
