Politics in Pakistan and the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 The Partition of India in August 1947 was a colossal man-made catastrophe resulting in the formation of Pakistan, with its east and west wings.Jinnah’s two-nation theory ignored the diverse culture and geographical settings. East Pakistan got its first political shock when Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy—a popular mass leader—did not become the chief minister of East Pakistan. Further, in the initial period of state formation, there was forceful imposition of Perso-Arabic culture and Urdu language by the leadership of Pakistan, consisting majorly of Punjabis and Pathans from West Pakistan. Guru Saday Batabyal | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Malhama Tactical: Now Jihadists for Hire A conglomerate of elite jihadists called Malhama Tactical, a commercial enterprise driven by a for-profit agenda and not constrained by a specific ideology and defined enemies, has emerged as a serious threat as it can potentially connect and facilitate terrorist organisations worldwide. Saman Ayesha Kidwai | October 14, 2021 | IDSA Comments
The Curious Case of Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir The recent statement by the former Amirs (chiefs) of Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, which was banned in 2019, seems to be a tactical move by the leadership to save the organisational structure from any kind of damage and to continue Islamisation of the society at the grassroots level. Manzoor Ahmad | October 14, 2021 | IDSA Comments
Did Pakistan Learn from its Bangladesh Experience? This article seeks to re-analyse the pattern of Pakistani response to the demands from East Bengal as a federating unit with distinct linguistic and regional identity, which led to eventual vivisection of Pakistan, and examine whether in the post-1971 years Pakistan learnt any lesson from its Bangladesh experience and used it to deal with similar assertions at ethnic and regional levels. Ashok K. Behuria | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Two Decades After 9/11: The Liberal Security Community Lies in Tatters It may seem premature to discuss the advent of an illiberal global order, however, the numerous catalytic events of recent years and the apparent decline of American heft in shaping global norms and structures might indicate that the international system is on the cusp of a major transformation. A. Vinod Kumar | October 12, 2021 | Issue Brief
Mistakes on Repeat Mode: Pakistan’s Civil–Military Debacle The military has been an integral part of Pakistan’s survival since the formation of that nation state. The idea of the country was based on a united Islamic religion, but series of events dampened the nation’s integrity. In the absence of robust political institutions to promote democracy, the bureaucratic and military apparatus made inroads into polity and expanded their role as dominant powerful elite in the initial years after independence. Karnika Jain | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
The Mukti Bahini: Three Dimensional Guerillas Introduction Sandeep Unnithan | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Sagat and Helicopters True Pillars of Victory This article looks at the real issues that were responsible for destabilising the centre of gravity of Pakistan Army in the eastern sector. Lieutenant Rajesh Isser | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Eagle Unleashed IAF Strategy and Operations The only unfettered use of air power in India’s wars was in 1971, and it produced disproportionate and decisive outcomes. IAF’s air strategy, the extent of its role in contributing to the failure of Pakistan’s strategy in the west, and the vast range of operations carried out towards the surface war on both fronts simultaneously, are relatively unknown. Diptendu Choudhury | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Language, Culture and the Creation of Bangladesh The objective of this article is to analyse the role of language and culture in the creation of Bangladesh. The ethno-linguistic identity of the people Dorothy Deb | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
