The Complexities of South Asia
South Asia presents a complex tapestry of intersecting tensions. Almost every country in the SAARC alliance, alongside Iran and China, harbors either dormant or active territorial disputes with neighboring nations. Boundaries drawn arbitrarily fail to contain ethnic and religious ties that transcend them, often leading dissatisfied communities to become tools in proxy conflicts.
The region is marked by numerous ongoing insurgencies, from the unrest in Balochistan straddling the Iran-Pakistan border to the persistent discontent in regions like Kashmir and Indian Punjab. Separatist sentiments are evident in Xinjiang, the organized Kurdish resistance in Iran, and the emerging rights movement in Pakistan’s tribal areas, driven by oppression and mirroring the Balochistan struggle.
A historical pattern of exploiting internal dissent pervades the region. Examples include India’s backing of Tibetan separatism and earlier support for Sri Lanka’s Tamil insurgency, as well as Afghan and Indian support for insurgents in Pakistan’s northwest in the 1970s, leading to retaliatory actions from Islamabad. This retaliation, fueled by American aid, gave rise to groups like the Afghan mujahideen, eventually spawning transnational threats like Al Qaeda and ISIS.
The subsequent “War on Terror” evolved into a destructive cycle, particularly impacting Pakistan by solidifying military control at the expense of democratic advancements.
