Q. Explain the concept of Nationality and distinguish between Nationality and Citizenship.

Q. Explain the rise of Muslim nationalism in South Asia. What were its implications for the
nationalist politics of Indian National Congress?

Q. Examine the importance of national interest for “peace and security” with special reference
to geostrategic position for economic opportunities of Pakistan in the 21st century.

Q. What are the major obstacles to the process of national integration in contemporary
Pakistan? Suggest remedies for success of the process.

Answer is in National integration notes.

Nationalism Meaning

nationalism begins with the idea that the whole of human society is divided into distinct,
autonomous groups called nations. What is nation? A nation is a group of people speaking a
common language, sharing a common culture, a sense of a common destiny, and sharing a
common history. So, nationalism is a term to describe the common bonds that hold people
together within a nation, creating a new type of community.

Nationalism is also the idea that the nation should have the right to govern itself and the right
to self-determination.

Finally, sometimes, nationalism is expressed in the belief that one’s own nation is better than
other nations. In those instances, it can become competitive or discriminatory.

Philosophy of Nationalism

Nationalism bonds people together in a way that is not genetic, not biological, and not based on
even having a personal connection with other members of your nation. In some ways the idea
of a nation is actually an imaginary relationship and nations could be considered imagined
communities because so much of the making of a nation is about creating unity and loyalty in
our minds. It is not enough to just have a common government to make a nation – we must
have shared cultural symbols like flags, national anthems, a shared idea of the history of our
nations to create and build a community of a nation.
Origin

In the 17th century, many political scientists like Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau
conceptualized the nation-state as the result of a "social contract" between rulers and
individuals. However, the concept of nationalism was firmly established in the 19th century,
due to wars and revolutions in Europe.

The French Revolutionary era had great importance in the development and spread of
nationalism as an ideology. After French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power in 1799, he
extended the central government of France into all the countries he conquered across Europe.
The military victories of France helped to create a common sense of history and identity,
making nationalism strongest in France.

Factors Affecting Nationalism

Culture

Culture is described as "a way of life, especially the beliefs and customs of specific group of
people at a particular time”. National integration in multi-cultural societies has been an attempt
to forge “unity in diversity”, pursuing to minimize socio-cultural differences and implementing
uniformity despite cultural diversity of even a complex nature.

Language

In multilingual civilizations and societies, language is an extremely important tool which has
inbuilt paradox of unifying the nation by promoting national consciousness and unity or
disintegrating the fabrics of society by creating a sense of alienation and marginalization. The
traumatic incident of separation of East-Pakistan as Bangladesh had its origins in the language
riots, which later transformed into full-fledged rebellion against the West Pakistan.

Religion

Religious harmony with interfaith dialogue and accommodation is an essential requirement for
furthering national integration. Enduring harmony and sustainable national solidarity can only
be built on ethical values which protect human dignity. Religious freedom is right of every
citizen and earnest obligation of every government. This freedom must be ensured and
respected, as it has enormous potential for national integration therefore; mutual respect and
religious freedom have enormous potential for enhancing national integration.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity is a challenging factor, whose character is conflictual instead of being consensual. It is

a conscious conduct established on identity or loyalty, which is aimed at advancing the interests
of the group or the individuals. One example can be quoted form the United States, where
diverse ethnic groups and nationalities of different backgrounds are blended together to form
one American identity and shared values of enjoying equal democratic rights.

Benefits of Nationalism

Firstly, there are very noticeable benefits to a group of people being bound very closely
together. Because nationalism have a set of common goals and a common vision, it allows
people to cooperate with each other.

People with same language and culture tend to trust each other. Due to this type of social
bonding, trust and cohesion is much higher in a society, facilitating anything from trade to
successful war effort. Countries which have a strong sense of national identity are more likely to
endure hardship and win wars.

Nationalism makes people resilient to hardships and crisis.

Civic nationalism is when people are tied together less by blood and more by values. This
promotes civic virtue and prosperity.

Nationalism leads to more popular participation in the political sphere, leading to change from
local initiatives to top-down political change. These developments make civil society healthy
and robust.

Nationalism invokes liberty. In the 1848 revolutions, a strong sense of national identity,
combined with liberalism swept away the ancient regime.
Drawbacks of Nationalism

Nationalists hold that the boundaries of a nation and a state should coincide with one another,
thus nationalism tends to oppose multiculturalism. It can also lead to conflict when more than
one national group finds itself claiming rights to a particular territory or seeking to take control
of the state.

Philosopher A.C. Grayling describes nations as artificial constructs, "their boundaries drawn in
the blood of past wars". He argues that "there is no country on earth which is not home to
more than one different but usually coexisting culture. Cultural heritage is not the same thing
as national identity".

Nationalism is potentially oppressive because it submerges individual identity within a national

whole and gives elites or political leaders potential opportunities to manipulate or control the
masses.

In the liberal political tradition there was mostly a negative attitude toward nationalism as a
dangerous force and a cause of conflict and war between nation-states. The historian Lord
Acton put the case against "nationalism as insanity" in 1862. He argued that nationalism
suppresses minorities, it places country above moral principles and especially it creates a
dangerous individual attachment to the state.

Albert Einstein stated that "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind".

Q. Explain the rise of Muslim nationalism in South Asia.

Ans. Muslim nationalism in South Asia did not exist till the end of Muslim rule here. The decline
of the Mughal Empire, rise of British Colonialism, and the political reassertion of Hindus in India,
provided the materials with which Muslim nationalism would first begin to shape itself.
Muslims comprised 25% to 30% of pre-independence India's collective population. Some
Muslim leaders felt that their cultural and economic contributions to India's heritage and life
merited a significant role for Muslims in a future independent India's politics.

The first organized expressions of Muslim nationalism began with Muslim scholars and
reformers like Syed Ahmed Khan, Syed Ameer Ali and the Aga Khan who had a major hand in
the Indian independence movement.

Expression of Muslim separatism and nationhood emerged from modern Islam's pre-eminent
poet and philosopher, Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal and political activists like Choudhary
Rahmat Ali.

Some prominent Muslims politically sought a base for themselves, separate from Hindus who
supported the Indian National Congress. Muslim scholars, religious leaders and politicians
founded the All India Muslim League in 1906.

A movement led by Allama Iqbal and ultimately Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who originally fought
for Muslim rights within India, later felt a separate homeland must be obtained for India's
Muslims in order to achieve prosperity. They espoused the Two-Nation Theory, that India was
in fact home to the Muslim and Hindu nations, who were distinct in every way.

Q. What were its implications for the nationalist politics of Indian National Congress?

Ans. The rise of muslim nationalism hampered the nationalist politics of Indian National
Congress, as Muslims began to demand a fair representation in governance. The Indian
National Congress cooperated with Muslim League to some extent for liberating India from
British rule. However, it opposed the division of India into seperate states for Hindus and
Muslims.

Q. Examine the importance of national interest for “peace and security” with special reference
to geostrategic position for economic opportunities of Pakistan in the 21st century.
Ans. Pakistan has incredible potential as a transit economy with the development of Gwadar
port and links to Afghanistan, Russia and Central Asia.

The China–Pakistan cross-border economic belt, linked by the China–Pakistan Karakoram

Highway, has taken shape under CPEC. Through international logistics nodes such as Gwadar
Port, Karachi and Peshawar, Pakistan serves to transport products from western China to
countries in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean via transit transport. Therefore,
infrastructure connectivity is also one of the important areas in the early harvest projects of
CPEC.

Security concerns remain the most primary challenge to the CPEC as yet. An arc of militancy
stretches from Xinjiang to Gwadar consisting of groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Daesh, and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Most of these
groups may not have an enmity with China itself but rather intend to use attacks on Chinese
interests like the CPEC as a means to deal with the Pakistani state.

Regionalism has divided the whole nation into small and paltry classes. It has created fractions,
groups, sects working for their vested interests. Jeye Sindh, Baluch Liberation Front and Baluch
liberation army are struggling for sucession from federation. So the question of national
integration remain unaddressed and at low priority.

Pakistan’s national integration predicament has to take into account both macro and micro
level economic and social dimensions. Disparity between rich and poor, misuse of power,
lawlessness, selective application of law in FATA, PATA, FRs and Cat B Areas in Baluchistan are
breeding a culture of negativism in Pakistan.

Extraordinary focus on Baluchistan and Tribal Areas is required for poverty alleviation and
removing past injustices to the people by granting special developmental packages. The most
important aspect here is political reconciliation through two pronged approach i.e., dialogue
and development.

Q. Explain the concept of Nationality and distinguish between Nationality and Citizenship.

Ans.