Hand-painted Bollywood Mudflap in Ahmedabad – Bollywood is a part of shared Hindustani culture. Meena Khadri/Flickr. Some rights reserved.Pakistan and India celebrate 70 years of independence next week. That also means 70 years of hostility and conflict between the two states over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir – divided by the Line of Control into Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered territories. Tensions and unresolved grievances around these historic disputes continue to feed wider regional instability. Home to over one fifth of the world’s population, the human and developmental consequences of protracted conflict in South Asia are immense.
As we reflect on the past, surely now is the time to change the ongoing saga of India-Pakistan relations? If we move beyond national identities and change our view of security and of the Line of Control, we have a chance of building a new vision of peace in the region.
Nationhood and cultural identity
While sovereignty and national identities are celebrated on the anniversary of the birth of the two states, if we want to progress, it is also necessary to think about these differently. It is only by expanding current narrow definitions of sovereignty and nationhood – enabling a broader, more inclusive understanding of these ideas to take root – that new realities will form, divides will be overcome and a new vision for the future will emerge. In order to support such a transformation and build a more peaceful South Asia, we should look to shift understanding of cultural difference.
