War Studies

Over the winter of 2019 in India, 519 riots took place causing mass casualties and deaths. This in part was a reaction to the introduction of the Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA), government legislation that enabled non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to become Indian citizens. The exclusion of Muslims was seen by many as a fundamental challenge to principles of secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution, resulting in violent altercations between protestors, the police and Hindu nationalists. Yet, this was not the only cause. Far removed from CAA agitations, political violence in a variety of forms was waged across India and their neighbouring countries. 75 years since the Partition of the India, we speak to Dr Adnan Naseemullah, Reader in International Politics in the Department of War Studies, to explore the roots of political violence across India, Pakistan and Bangledesh. Discussing his new book, ‘Patchwork States: The Historical Roots of Subnational Conflict and Competi