ISLAMABAD, SEPT 12 (DNA) – The rising Hindutva hyper-nationalism in India is not a domestic issue of the country anymore. It is already spilling over to become a regional issue and has global implications, too! The region has become a nuclear flashpoint due to the current situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

This threat was highlighted by leading security experts and defence analysts in Islamabad during a well-attended seminar “Expansionist Hindu Nationalism and Nuclear Politics” organized by Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research (CSCR) held at a local hotel here on Thursday.

The speakers included Lt General (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, former secretary defence, Lt General (retd) Asif Yaseen Malik, former defence secretary, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, School of Politics & IR, Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr Salma Malik, department of Defence & Strategic Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University, Air Commodore (retd) Khalid Banori, advisor, Arms Control & Disarmament Affairs (ACDA), Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Sultan M. Hali, author of Rising Hindutva & Its Impact on the Region, Brigadier (retd) Dr Naeem Salik, former director, ACDA, Mansoor Ahmed, research fellow, Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and Anas Abdullah, president, CSCR.

The experts were also of the view that the international community has historically only moved seriously on matters of compliance of international law when something really bad has happened to the world, e.g. German Nazism, South African apartheid, Rwandan genocide, etc. Pakistan and Kashmiris should not expect much from it, though continued exposition of Hindutva fascism could sensitize the global conscience in the long run.

Dr. Jaspal talked about the evolving nuclear posture of India under the influence of Hindutva. He said, India has lost confidence in its conventional military capabilities against Pakistan that is why its leaders are frequently giving threats of ‘no-first use’ strategy in nuclear weapons domain.

Banuri said, the rising Hindu fundamentalism is an Indian domestic issue but we being a neighbor may have to suffer, because of a spillover effect, just like other neighboring countries. He also said that Pakistan’s response towards Balakot was in strict adherence of self-defense as per international law.

He also gave a comparative analysis of BJP manifestoes of 2014 and 2019 elections.

Hali, who addressed the audience on the topic of syncretism of Hindutva with India’s external security calculus, said that if the international community sends an unbiased fact-finding mission to Kashmir, India is going to be exposed. Even if India increases its military strength from 700,000 to seven million, it will not be able mitigate the intensity of freedom movement of Kashmir, he added.

The speakers and panelists called upon the world community to not wait for another historic humanitarian tragedy by letting India commit genocide against Kashmiris and act before it is too late=DNA

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