Nationalism plays a unique role in the history and creation of the nation of Pakistan. The nation of Pakistan was once a part of India but ultimately split from the nation into West and East Pakistan. This is mainly due to the difference in the major religions of both regions with Pakistan being majority Muslim and India being majority Hindu. In terms of West Pakistan and East Pakistan, the reason for their eventual split into Pakistan and Bangladesh was not due to religion but due to the main language spoken is different between the two countries, with Pakistan speaking Urdu and Bangladesh speaking Bengali. This creates an interesting platform for Pakistani Nationalism to take place since it isn’t based on solely political ideology like the United States’ Nationalism after its independence from Britain, but rather a religious ideology held by the majority of its citizens.
This battle between religious ideology and defining what belongs to who when discussing land disputes between Pakistan and India is complicated due to the foundation of nationalism. For instance, the conflict over Kashmir is seen by both sides differently. Pakistan believes the region of Kashmir belongs to them since the majority of its inhabitants are Muslim, meanwhile, India believes the region belongs to them because the monarch who ruled the region at the time of British India’s independence, was Hindu. This put Kashmir in a tough position compared to other princely states that simply followed the will of the people in terms of what country to join. Now you must also include China in the Kashmir conflict which adds another layer of complexity to the situation.
This conflict in Kashmir can also be a way to view the inequality present in both Pakistan and India. Kashmiris have been denied the right to vote in election and their right to determine themselves as either an independent nation or a region to be split between China, Pakistan, and India. Despite Pakistan and India fighting and occupying Kashmir, it is the Kashmiris who are caught in the middle of this. Innocent civilians are killed by occupying forces that they did not ask for. It is apparent that within Pakistan and India’s ideology, there is no room for Kashmiris or what they want for their homeland.
