Pakistan, the BJP, and the Politics of Identity

Abstract

When we look back at over half a century of the political histories ofIndia and Pakistan, there is one development that outshines all others. The debate over the basis of identity, which began in earnest in the immediate run-up to independence, continues to engage both countries. What we see are two states still contesting the ideological underpinnings of nation; still ostensibly wrestling with tensions that were evident at the time of partition.