Niaz Wazir | National Defence University-NDU- Islamabad- Pakistan (original) (raw)
Papers by Niaz Wazir
Since the interwar period, populist trends began emerging in the world posing challenges to democ... more Since the interwar period, populist trends began emerging in the world posing challenges to democracy. However, a strong polarization amid scholars over whether populism is a threat or a byproduct of democracy became a p oint of inquiry. With Modi assuming power in India, far right populism started making inroads in India's secular democratic culture causing tremors in the country. BJP leadership has been intended at radically changing India's Constitution by incorporating its dictatorial and anti-minority Hindutva ideology at its core. Indian policies and minority specific laws reflect a far-right ideological approach of Modi government that is capable of articulating genocidal attacks, religious intolerance and fascist ma joritarianism which poses serious threats to Indian democracy. The paper aims to examine influence of Modi's far-right populism on India's democratic system and patterns through which Indian minorities have been experiencing structural violence in the form of suppression and human rights violation.
Journal of Research Society Pakistan, 2021
Nation-building has remained a big challenge for leadership in Pakistan. In the initial years, th... more Nation-building has remained a big challenge for leadership in Pakistan. In the initial years, the policy of nation-building was based on religion and language. However, this policy failed to keep the two wings of the country united. As a result, the Eastern wing was lost which became an independent state called Bangladesh. In Pakistan, the existing literature on nation-building covers the period of the second half of the twentieth century. One can hardly find any worth reading work on this topic in the twenty first century. In this paper, an attempt has been made to fill the existing gap in the literature on nationbuilding in the first two decades of twenty first century. In this regard, special attention has been paid to the changing dimensions of nation-building from language and religion to factors like power-sharing, institutions, infrastructure, economic development and sports.
Journal of Political Studies, 2019
Governance and ethno-nationalism has been closely interlinked in context of Pakistan. A strong ce... more Governance and ethno-nationalism has been closely interlinked in context of Pakistan. A strong central government endowed with all powers and authority to subdue the provincial governments has given birth to the politics of regionalism and ethnonationalism. The peripheral elite have strongly resisted the highly centralized pattern of governance. They have developed a strong counter-narrative to mobilize the marginalized ethnic groups. The ability of peripheral elites to politicize social, economic and cultural fault lines has hampered the creation of an integrated and coherent nation. It has prolonged the life span of ethnic politics for a period of seventy years. The advent of modern means of communication and the rapidly changing political environment has provided a fertile ground for the proliferation of nationalist sentiments. In this paper it has been argued that media and Pashtun Protection Movement or Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has enabled the Pashtun intelligentsia to shape the face of Pashtun Ethno-Nationalism. They have provided a platform and a means of communication for transmitting message to mobilize the masses.
Orient Research Journal of Social Sciences, 2020
Having an agrarian economy Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has remained one of the wor... more Having an agrarian economy Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has remained one of the world most underdeveloped areas. It had a tribal system of governance, known as Pashtunwali. When the previous Nawaz Sharif's Government announced the formation of FATA Reforms Committee in 2015, to propose reforms for FATA, it has two major options i.e. FATA-KP merger and the formation of a separate FATA province. After, prolonged consultation with all stakeholders, The Committee proposed FATA-KP merger in its Report, submitted to the government. The Committee ruled out the possibility of a separate FATA province on the ground that it could not generate the revenue required to stands as a separate province. In the light of the Report of FATA Reforms Committee the Government finally merged FATA with Khyber Pukhtunkhwa through 25 th amendment to the constitution of Pakistan. In this paper it has been argued that FATA has the potential to generate the revenue, necessary for running the administration of a separate province. It has the capacity to generate handsome revenue from minerals, electricity, cross-border trade and tourism.
Since the interwar period, populist trends began emerging in the world posing challenges to democ... more Since the interwar period, populist trends began emerging in the world posing challenges to democracy. However, a strong polarization amid scholars over whether populism is a threat or a byproduct of democracy became a p oint of inquiry. With Modi assuming power in India, far right populism started making inroads in India's secular democratic culture causing tremors in the country. BJP leadership has been intended at radically changing India's Constitution by incorporating its dictatorial and anti-minority Hindutva ideology at its core. Indian policies and minority specific laws reflect a far-right ideological approach of Modi government that is capable of articulating genocidal attacks, religious intolerance and fascist ma joritarianism which poses serious threats to Indian democracy. The paper aims to examine influence of Modi's far-right populism on India's democratic system and patterns through which Indian minorities have been experiencing structural violence in the form of suppression and human rights violation.
Journal of Research Society Pakistan, 2021
Nation-building has remained a big challenge for leadership in Pakistan. In the initial years, th... more Nation-building has remained a big challenge for leadership in Pakistan. In the initial years, the policy of nation-building was based on religion and language. However, this policy failed to keep the two wings of the country united. As a result, the Eastern wing was lost which became an independent state called Bangladesh. In Pakistan, the existing literature on nation-building covers the period of the second half of the twentieth century. One can hardly find any worth reading work on this topic in the twenty first century. In this paper, an attempt has been made to fill the existing gap in the literature on nationbuilding in the first two decades of twenty first century. In this regard, special attention has been paid to the changing dimensions of nation-building from language and religion to factors like power-sharing, institutions, infrastructure, economic development and sports.
Journal of Political Studies, 2019
Governance and ethno-nationalism has been closely interlinked in context of Pakistan. A strong ce... more Governance and ethno-nationalism has been closely interlinked in context of Pakistan. A strong central government endowed with all powers and authority to subdue the provincial governments has given birth to the politics of regionalism and ethnonationalism. The peripheral elite have strongly resisted the highly centralized pattern of governance. They have developed a strong counter-narrative to mobilize the marginalized ethnic groups. The ability of peripheral elites to politicize social, economic and cultural fault lines has hampered the creation of an integrated and coherent nation. It has prolonged the life span of ethnic politics for a period of seventy years. The advent of modern means of communication and the rapidly changing political environment has provided a fertile ground for the proliferation of nationalist sentiments. In this paper it has been argued that media and Pashtun Protection Movement or Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has enabled the Pashtun intelligentsia to shape the face of Pashtun Ethno-Nationalism. They have provided a platform and a means of communication for transmitting message to mobilize the masses.
Orient Research Journal of Social Sciences, 2020
Having an agrarian economy Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has remained one of the wor... more Having an agrarian economy Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has remained one of the world most underdeveloped areas. It had a tribal system of governance, known as Pashtunwali. When the previous Nawaz Sharif's Government announced the formation of FATA Reforms Committee in 2015, to propose reforms for FATA, it has two major options i.e. FATA-KP merger and the formation of a separate FATA province. After, prolonged consultation with all stakeholders, The Committee proposed FATA-KP merger in its Report, submitted to the government. The Committee ruled out the possibility of a separate FATA province on the ground that it could not generate the revenue required to stands as a separate province. In the light of the Report of FATA Reforms Committee the Government finally merged FATA with Khyber Pukhtunkhwa through 25 th amendment to the constitution of Pakistan. In this paper it has been argued that FATA has the potential to generate the revenue, necessary for running the administration of a separate province. It has the capacity to generate handsome revenue from minerals, electricity, cross-border trade and tourism.