Pakistan, Bangladesh and core identity questions

Recent developments — Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir's speech reasserting the Two-Nation Theory, and Bangladesh's demand for apology and reparations for the 1971 war atrocities — have reopened South Asia's unresolved historical and ideological questions, exposing Pakistan's continued reliance on religious nationalism, historical denialism, and internal repression.

Reassertion of Ideology by Pakistan

• Ideological Reaffirmation by Military: Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir, in April 2025, invoked the Two-Nation Theory, claiming Muslims and Hindus are “fundamentally different” in religion, tradition, culture, and ambition, thereby reinforcing religious essentialism as the basis of national identity.
• Use of Nationalism as Political Distraction: The speech reflects an attempt to distract from Pakistan’s internal crises — including political instability, economic fragility, and insurgency — by reviving outdated ideological tropes rooted in Jinnah’s vision of separation.
• Textbook Nationalism and Institutional Myth-Making: The Two-Nation Theory continues to be institutionally propagated through school curricula and public discourse, entrenching a narrow and divisive sense of national identity, despite its historical contradictions post-1971.

Bangladesh’s Counter-Narrative and Demands

• Demand for Historical Accountability: In April 2025, during Foreign Secretary-level talks, Bangladesh formally demanded a long-pending apology for Pakistan Army’s atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War and sought over USD 4 billion in reparations for its share of undivided Pakistan’s assets.
• Contradiction Between Diplomacy and Memory: Despite signs of diplomatic normalisation with Pakistan, 1971 remains a core issue in Bangladesh’s national consciousness, creating a paradox between strategic engagement and collective trauma.
• Moral Assertion over Strategic Realism: Bangladesh’s demand is rooted in ethical recognition of state-sponsored brutality, not strategic hostility — signifying a principled stance for historical justice, rather than a purely transactional foreign policy.

Implications of Ideological Rigidity for Pakistan

• Failure to Learn from East Pakistan: The continued denial of ethnic-linguistic grievances, seen earlier in East Pakistan and now in Balochistan, shows Pakistan’s repetition of authoritarian patterns, ignoring lessons from its own disintegration in 1971.
• Externalisation of National Identity: Pakistan’s identity remains reactive and India-centric, defined by contrast rather than internal coherence, thus limiting national integration and foreign policy maturity.
• Obsolete Ideology Amid Contemporary Challenges: The persistent invocation of the Two-Nation Theory does not address modern threats like terrorism, separatism, and regional isolation; instead, it entrenches militarised nationalism devoid of democratic introspection.

Practice Question