Politics in India and Pakistan

Diversity is any form of measure used to show differences between people and groups from one another. Unity in diversity is the act appreciating and respecting what makes people different. Over the years India has been the best example to explain the concept of unity in diversity because the people of India live as one although they have numerous varieties. The people of India are diverse based on race, tradition, religion, politics, culture, linguistics, among lots of other differences. These differences are seen in other countries but no country has so much diversity like India while they have no conflicts. A related question is that it is said about India that it is only “a Geographical Expression” and not a “Nation”.

Do you agree? Give reasons. Many people especially political thinkers have claimed that India is not a nation but “a geographical expression. ” These claims are normally related to the fact that India is very diverse unlike any other country on the planet. Most political thinkers believe that a nation has to have some common characteristic to make it a nation something that India does not have because it embraces the extraordinary mixture of cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. In past India was still a nation because of its unity based on territorial relations which made different kingdoms live in harmony. The following are some characteristics features of politics in India: a. Linguistic Politics India being a diverse nation has many languages and lack a specific common national language.

In other countries whereby, language is not a political problem, a national language was introduced and it became successful. A national language acts as a common means of communicating among citizens alongside mother tongues. Caste leadership is borrowed from inequality by birth because only the privileged get the leadership chance but democracy is borrowed from an equality principle. Caste demands fragmentation of the society while democracy demands unification of the society hence they cannot co-exist. Similarities between caste and democracy are that adults are allowed to make decisions through voting. Candidates are allowed to campaign for different leadership positions. In caste, a leader appeals that he or she belongs to a specific caste while in democracy a leader proves to have better visions and leadership skills.

Secular politics in India supports separation of India as a state from religion, freedom of religion to religions and individuals, and equality by eliminating discrimination of any sort. Communal politics in India challenge secular politics based on their beliefs. Communal politics are based on notions that states with multiple religions it is not possible to have common interests for all religions because religions are divergent. The interests of different communities are hostile and incompatible. This type of politics is based on embracing diversity by showing how people are different and how their differences are important. There have been many drawbacks in Pakistan’s democracy because some Islamic leaders did not agree on how to translate some Quran words. Some leaders use the word of Allah for their own personal gain.

b. The Islamic Concept of Sovereignty Pakistan being an Islamic state they believe that God or Allah is sovereign. The Islamic concept of sovereignty does not classify sovereignty into a mere leadership position but as a significant powerful position that should not be assumed by any human being because it only belongs to God. Because the political body of the country was not stable the military had to intervene to ensure such cases do not arise again. The military was not able to rule the country on its own because it is not trained to rule hence it used the civil bureaucracy to help the military with the country’s administration. Democracy cannot have deep roots in Pakistan if the military has the power to control the government.

A democratic state should not be ruled by the military instead the leader should be the commander in chief of the military. Pakistan uses the military in politics because its politics are not stable hence they need a powerful force to ensure the influential people do not use politics in the wrong way. Countries that have helped Pakistan get democracy have also been targeted by terrorists who have been radicalized making them afraid of helping the country again. Work Cited Abbas, Hassan.  Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror. Routledge, 2015. https://www. Pine Forge Press, 2010. https://books. google. co. ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8CprlwcXBjwC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=india+Unity+in+diversity+&ots=BQYP-xFYzv&sig=m0Q4bCGmlKEksgj0FsaK0QWoaCA&redir_esc=y Spate, Oskar Hermann Khristian, and Andrew Thomas Amos Learmonth.