A Comparative Study Between the Minorities of India with the Minorities of Pakistan and Bangladesh: Question of Human Security

Abstract

Minorities tend to be victimized to various extents pretty much everywhere; from the most welcoming countries to the most xenophobic. The South Asian countries that once comprised what was known as “British India” are no exception. For the past decade and a half, the author has spent about one-fifth of every year in those countries—in cities and villages, with people of prominence and people whose lives are played out anonymously; people in the majority community, and those classified as religious or ethnic minorities. Using data and insight from direct observation, as well as eyewitness accounts and third-party sources, and analysis, this chapter examines why minorities in India are comparatively secure, while those in Pakistan and Bangladesh teeter on extinction; and the world turns aside hoping they will die quietly.