Social Issues

The Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of People’s Republic of China has generated tensions and gained the attention against China’s forceful attempt of eroding and penetrating into the traces of Uighur culture by reflecting on instrumental dimensions on whether it is indeed Chinese Nationalism promotion or not. As the sixth largest region in China, it possesses 2.19 trillion tonnes of coal reserves, 1/4th of oil and natural gas reserves and geological surveys point the availability of mineral resources which are vital for the procurement by the PRC to further assert its authority. Due to the Criss cross connectivity it is indeed Asia’s central pivot.

Recently, the Uighurs in United States are expressing their scepticism against China who are forcing the detained family members to denounce the presence of re-educational camps. A case of Samira Imin who was distressed to see her father Iminjan Seydin on We Chat claimed that he was not detained and his daughter was deceived by anti-China forces. Francisco Bencosme the Asia Pacific Advocacy Manager at Amnesty International stated that the increasing outflow of videos portray harassment for forceful confessions.

Premier Xi Jinping has articulated Xinjiang as a part of China’s dreams. The vision stands to unite the people of all ethnic groups and leading to a decisive victory in building a moderately society in all respects and in the drive to secure all socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. In reality, it is divided on communal lines and ensures the deprivation of the local nationalists- Muslims. Perceiving them as a threat, China has seen immense human right violations and has constructed an ever-enlarging re-educational camp which spurts suppression, oppression by generating psychological fears, violent tendencies among the minorities and here in the clear case of Uighurs. PRC and National discourse assimilation have seen a sign of aggression and no smooth absorption of the region by the central apparatus.

These religious suppressions with inequitable development have spurred the demand of their voice to be heard. Currently, the world being frozen in the fears of rising China which has contaminated its image abroad has made nations to give top priority and focus on China and now it has generated an international stage for the Uighurs to seek a support system.

Internal Security Dimension

Xinjiang has a strong national security that has garnered ethnic political mobilisation. In the name of ethnic cleansing of 1.8 million in detention centre the Chinese game has been brutal, hard and highly cautious. To harbour and protect the Xinjiang internal security situation in control, the Chinese government faces a lot of international pressure to treat them equally and with dignity but the realist dominating country seems to disagree and work in its own fashion and make these non-anticipated nationalists to dance to their tunes.

Wherein, President Xi Jinping claims that he has brought the situation under control but has used education as a weapon to enculturate people and fuel extremism and massive indoctrination can be seen through the unheard voices of those escaping from these dreadful prisons and from the secret documents being highlighted by the United Work Front Department. The recent report of Law Institute of State-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences viewed that the country faces grim terror threats building on lines of State- centric verses local nationalism. The Institution of National Security Commission has also taken account of it.

Re-educational camps

Torture and mental manipulations are common at these camps where they are evicted and separated from families being detained for years. Recently, a report from space agency has revealed that there is an increase in sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere hovering above China which is mainly emitted by the mass burning of bodies. The local media has witnessed that President Xi Jinping has been very clear by the complete folding of the fallacy of blind spots, but the true picture cannot be hidden by the satellite imagery shown below. Paradoxically it has led to resilience and cultural insecurity among the Muslim community.

The state has promoted bilingual education to curb the rise of further extremist movements. But again, these seem like myriad realities waving off the tragedy it has made and it seems China is attempting to repeat the pages and recreate the historical narratives of Monoculture, once being prevalently practiced by Hitler at his Nazi Holocaust camps. The Education Commission since 2002, has promoted Chinese (Mandarin) as a common language of learning which still showcases racist threads being bound together against Muslims. The idea is that if heavier reliance is casted upon it then there will be a sense of assimilation. This has led to a cause of resentment as the local language is deemed to be less important in nature leading to absence of acceptance of diversity.

At the camps the Uighurs are forced to memorize the Communist ideology and the detainees force pledge their precious loyalty to Chinese Communist Party and need to renounce Islam. Adding to the misery, they also face sexual abuse. Even the Human Right Organisation, UN officials are attempting and urging China to crackdown the prevalence of these vocational training centres as closely guarded grid management systems. Internet is being used widely for state propaganda which the Uighur activists are terming as “trapped in a virtual cage” scenario. The social media is also sponsored by the state and its deliverances are highly censored.

Bingtuan- A myth or reality

Also known as Xinjiang Production and Construction Code (XPCC), it combines production training and duty performance energy response. XPCC has sought assimilation for example, the 60th anniversary at National Museum of China featured 160 cultural relics building on lines of multiculturalism adaptation. It is here where we see propaganda of Assimilation by President Xi Jinping where he states All Chinese Nationalists must unite and must be closely connected heart by heart. President Xi Jinping added that they must be united as the seeds of pomegranate and this comparison can be linked to Mao’s vision of nationalities unification. China has attempted to preserve these minority dialectics and traditions of Xinjiang. It is a question that is it an eye-washing to divert the attention and purify his image or is it to cover the deep dare secrets of promotion of one culture.

Resorting to Terrorism

Initially, the Islamic Criticism led by Iran, Pakistan, Central Asia, Middle Eastern countries had sought international cooperation when the Uighurs joined hands with Islamic state militants in Iraq and Al-Qaeda making it an international concern. The militant movement with the creation of East Turkmenistan and building porous borders have made the young students and people travelling across borders frequently as easy victims of radicalisation. President Xi Jinping believes in the toxicity of religious extremism and advocated for using the tools of dictatorship to eliminate them is definitely a serious matter that needs to be addressed. Since 9/11, the Chinese government has curbed the terrorist activities and justified on the grounds of Global War on Terrorism. In 2016, the UNHRC cautioned China that it is responsible for the arbitration of Muslims but China cleverly garnered support from more than 60 countries who praise the country and showcase their loyalty with no opposition. Not even single Muslim country in Organization of Islamic Cooperation stood for the cause of the Uighurs, Kazakhs and Uzbeks and sincerely appreciate the Chinese efforts when it hijacked the Turkestan Islamic Movement.

De-radicalisation Propaganda

With heightened and tightened security, the situation can be termed as “Xi’s great wall of steel”. At the internal level, there are speculations about how there are many different approaches adopted be regional party chiefs as it leads to promotion to higher ranks. China has streamlined to serve the people who are dedicated and have an undying spirit towards the nation and seeks to provide religious counselling and dispel extremist ideology and have external support from de-radicalising governmental agencies.

Link to Belt and Road Initiative

Previously, there was a Centre-Periphery relation within China. But of late, BRI addresses xenophobia and there is tension seen between nation -state and trans-national making it a poly-centric vision due to the geo-strategic significance of this land locked territory that shares borders with vital nations.

International responses

The European Union has even called for China to practice religious freedom. US has also imposed visa restrictions on the Chinese officials who are believed to be hand in glove to complicit the detention of Muslims. They have also banned the export of cotton used by forced labour camps.

The US Senate may also push for the Uighur Human Rights Act gaining momentum to derail to the hostile project of BRI. But for China Xinjiang is a crucial much more than Tibet unless we see Russia’s turning the play card.

In the case of India which has laid claims on Aksai Chin which is administered by China as part of the Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang also has been pivotal for the CPEC project for which India stands strong opposition.

#EndSARS started as a social media campaign to raise awareness against the human rights abuses and extortions by the SARS officials and demanded its total disbandment. The protest's start could be traced back to 2017 when the killing of a 34-year-old man by SARS officials in Ughelli went viral on the social media platform. The viral video gathered severe criticisms against the SARS officers who were accused of harassing and physically abusing the civilians. As an instant reaction, the Nigerian government declared the video fake. It arrested the journalist who filmed it, which further aggravated the country's youth, who then initiated the hashtag trend on Twitter to demonstrate their protest against the unit. The hashtag trend became so popular worldwide that many celebrities and activists rallied for support on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In just a couple of days, hundreds of people displayed their grievances towards SARS and demanded the Nigerian government to dismantle the unit.

Created in the year 1992, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit was formed to combat the increasing violent crimes in Nigeria, especially armed robberies and kidnapping. Prior to its formation, anti-robbery units existed as separate entities in various states' criminal investigation departments. However, with the rise of bandits and criminal activities in the early 1990s, Police Officer Danladi Midenda was given the task to unite all the existing anti-robbery squads around the capital city into one unit in order to break the network of the armed gangs. In the first few years since its inception, the crime rate has reduced drastically. They operated in plainclothes and did not carry arms in public. Their primary duty was to monitor radio communications and facilitate successful arrests of criminals. Till 2002 SARS operated only in Lagos, but soon it spread out to all the other 36 states in the country. SARS was incorporated as one of the 14 units under the Nigerian Police Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department. Invigorated by immense power, the unit digressed from its main function of carrying covert operations to extorting money and terrorizing civilians. Over time SARS came to be recognized as a powerful entity that had lost its credibility and acted with impunity. Often, the government had announced structural changes to the unit and had promised the citizens to reform or disband the unit. However, seldom changes have ever been made to the unit that had terrorized civilians for decades. The Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force in 2017 announced the reorganizing of the units. In 2018, their acting President Yemi Osinbajo ordered an investigation and revamped the unit, but contention against the officials continued throughout the year. A report issued by Amnesty International showed that from January 2017 to May 2020, the SARS officers were involved in at least 82 cases of extortion and abuses. It further mentioned that every year the Nigeria Police Force is responsible for several extrajudicial executions or other unlawful killings and forced disappearances.

On 20th October last year, the military cracked down on a peaceful demonstration of the protestors in Lekki, a district in Lagos' capital city. Those protesters were suppressed by the military, and curfews were imposed in nine states across the country. While these demonstrations were peaceful, the police had responded with brutality; they shot tear gas and water cannon to disperse the gatherings. This deployment of the army resulted in the increased hostility between the two groups, which later resulted in the death of forty-nine persons across the country. The military crackdown led to riots in many parts of the state. The hooligans vandalised government properties and looted stores and malls. They even raided several warehouses where COVID-19 relief materials were stored. Nigerian protesters have accused the government of targeting SARS critics and trying to suppress the movement. In the capital city of Lagos, as a result of the raids, the government has banned demonstrations and has placed restrictions on social media platforms that protesters were using to spur the movement and highlight instances of police brutality.

Seeing the increasing intensity of the protest, the government disbanded SARS and announced to replaced it with a new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. However, for these #EndSARS protesters, the restructuring and the re-naming of the unit are not enough. They are concerned about how the personnel would be deployed into the new SWAT team, and like earlier times, all notorious activities would again be not addressed. What they want is justice and accountability on the part of the government to end corruption and bribery. Protesters demanded the government to address these issues and fire all SARS personnel involved in corruption and other violent activities.

Jogita is a MA student in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru

"Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the position of the University

After the Scramble for Africa in the year 1885 and through the colonial period, indigenous African ethnic communities remained alienated from a unified national identity. While most African countries are not failed states today, they have struggled to restore and deliver democracy. The overpowering drive to establish democracy has led to continuing (more often than not) violent protests. In this ambience of growing distrust between neighbouring states, with internal politics and external influences triggering minute conflicts in the African continent, the position of the military in these countries has evolved into a dual facetted problem. Conflicts in Africa have three distinct yet interlinked levels. Local level conflicts take birth from regional clan affiliations and in-turn rise into national level communal riots. The internationalization of these conflicts in the absence of a functioning state governance have led to large level multi-dimensional attacks on sovereignty and security (Eklow, 2019).

The Stockholm international peace research institute database (2017) indicates that, on average, Africa spends more than the world average on its military. The per capita military expenditure has increased by 26.8 per cent in Africa. (Khera, 2018) This jubilant military spending has an impact on the economic growth of developing African countries which are new democracies. In the year 2020 alone, countries like Algeria, and Burkina Faso have called out for democratic elections where insecurity and overshadowing threat of communal violence have resulted in limited voter turnout eroding predecessor models of ethnic and religious coexistence. Moreover, because of the rising tensions between existing governments and the escalating opposition, fuelled by destructive militia, these elections largely remain elections without the people who are ultimately alienated from their own system. Encashing upon this movement for equity, global terrorists groups like al- Qaeda and the Islamic state have turned Africa into a springboard for global terrorism in modern history. Today, al-Qaeda and ISIS continue to use Africa as an important locale of operations. The African countries have come under the spectacle of the international society because of their involvement with these internationally active terror organizations mainly after the global war on terror began.

Here, consider the case of Nigeria where troop deployment and peace talks with local authorities have failed to curb kidnapping, village raids and burning of homes by neighbouring tribes who maintain camps in the Rugu forest. In crippling convergence to this bloodshed, the security forces open fire on unarmed demonstrators near and around Lagos killing hundreds of citizens victimised by police brutality disguised in the form of the special anti robbery squad(SARS). The terror spread by security forces in Nigeria adds to the horror of elections which are a charade of rampant vote buying. The military in this case casts a negative role impacting the lives of hundreds of victimized civilians caught in the cross fire between the SARS and the rising revolt. The state exists to deliver human security and the protection of fundamental rights and duties. A flawed system of governance implies to a society which lacks transparency, responsiveness and accountability. This when added to the existing competition between elites for national power have exacerbated local fault lines. The limitations of the military in Nigeria and Kenya are not fundamentally economic but find their basis in the lack of motivation to deal with these Jihadist attacks. Like in these cases, the limitations of the ineffective security forces in African countries stem from their lack of national identity without which soldiers lack the motivation to risk their lives. In the Lake Chad Basin—mostly in Nigeria but also in Chad, Cameroon, and Niger—the radical Jihadis are primarily factions of Boko Haram, some with links to the Islamic State, others to al-Qaeda. The rise of radical Islam gives the militia a common identifying group and calls for mass movements against the state forces which lack both financing and a bonding nationalistic identity.

While jihadist groups are the main contributors of violence, community-based militia and government forces often penetrate equally bad attacks. (Bloomberg, 2020) Local Militia who operate outside the legal systems, fill the gap between the end of military operations and solidification of local powers. The presence of poorly trained and under-equipped forces in Africa add to the rising instability and insecurity in the region. A prevailing culture of impunity within the security forces ultimately provides the state personnel to commit gross human rights violations. This lack of a strong leadership and the resulting indecisiveness has led to the military and the state police forces overshadowing the state jurisdiction.

Here, consider the case of Mali where international pressure and military intervention have become the focal points of distress for the governmental security forces. While the transitional government in Mali has signalled for a dialogue with the jihadist groups, France which has a major influence in Mali, has shown major discomfort with the decision calling for a fight against the Jihadists. In addition to this, the country is to host a unit of Greek special forces too. The military planning and action capability mission of the EU plans to gradually support the resumption of the joint security and defence activities in Mali with the aim of achieving stability in Sahel and the wider region. This conflict between the government and the foreign stake holders challenges the very existence of state sovereignty and undermines the power of the government. Mass killings and crimes against humanity are inflicted upon the civilian population by both the state forces as well as the foreign forces in order to assert their supremacy.

The over powering military and their consequent rise to power can be observed in Mali's neighbour Burkina Faso- which is the coup capital of Africa after witnessing 10 attempts—the most on the continent. After several attempts of restoring democracy in the country, presidential and legislative elections for Burkina Faso were held in November 2020. These elections saw around 3000 polling stations which remained closed preventing 350,000 people from voting (republicworld.com, 2020). Broad based military operations accompanied by gross human rights violations alienate local populations from fostering a parochial culture. Therefore, there exists a need to bridge the gap between the key segments of the militia and the population that suffers at their whimsy. To add to the impounding growth of regional chaos, the lack of a functioning judicial system and a strong police system have led to clan based grievances developing into internationally condemned violations of human rights.

Formal police and military forces in countries like Somalia operate as clan militia because they lack proper integration as national forces. The access to small arms and light weapons turn these spilling conflicts into overpowering and transgressing battles. The thread from extremism and radicalism requires security cooperation from regional powers. Gilbert M, (1995) has suggested in his work that militaries might become irrelevant in African politics when most of the deep seated conflicts are resolved or successfully managed. However, in the contemporary scene, separating the role of the military and it’s intervention from the entangled arena of politics seems linked to conquest and relinquishment of power. A call for national dialogue on the allocation of power would benefit the law makers, the subjects of these law and the law enforcement agencies. The disproportionate political space for the military in Africa falls out of the periphery of nations where the mere notion of nation building is incomplete and contested. Militaries may not necessarily be mechanisms to restore status quo.

Creating democracy may therefore be linked to the military’s ability to relinquish power. It is only logical to assume that, in a world system powered by arms race where military is a symbol of state power the mechanisms of demilitarization stands as a contributing factor to instability in the balance of power dynamics. Disengagement of the military may however impact building on conflicts that spill across boundaries. With social and demographic pressures such as unemployment and severe droughts, massive humanitarian crisis seems to be broiling in most African states. The lack of proper training, the overpowering of the military and the non existence of a transparency have led to African countries being prone to military coups and have led the military to oppressive and violent.

The African continent faces new threats that may range beyond its current or feasible military capacity. With the increasing presence of foreign powers in the African continent and the intensifying trade war between the United States and China; African countries are prone to becoming a battleground for international great power politics. With the strong repulsion of the global community to terrorism, it is becoming increasingly prudent for the African countries to confront jihadist movements. The position of the state military is pivotal in this security set-up. It is therefore of importance to carefully analyze the allocation of power in this context.If improvements in human security, economies, politics, education, conflict resolution, and wealth distribution are not addressed, then the continent will continue to experience history repeating itself involving Jihadist terrorism in Africa. Despite decades of civilian democracy in Africa, inequality in distribution of power and resources have been a result of disintegration of governance from the core principles of democracy. Internal stability and establishment of strong leadership will lead to security from cross border threats thereby bringing the continent to peace and cooperation. This article via its findings concludes that, while allotment of sufficient funds and training opportunities for the state forces may lead to a stronger military, what appears to be the central game changer in dealing with the notion of ethnic and religious extremism is the idea of a inclusive national identity. The current pan-African drive towards democracy may result in the culmination of a national identity within each country dissolving tormenting terror groups into the cusp of peaceful coexistence.

ANAGHA is a MA student in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru

"Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the position of the University

The Department of International Studies and History organised a Skype lecture by Professor Idesbald Goddeeris of KU Leuven on “Migration and Multiculturalism” for 1 MAIS class on 6 September 2019 between 11 AM to 12 PM at Council Room, Central Block, Christ (Deemed to be University). The speaker focussed his talk on European Identities and how migration has affected the continent. In a globalised set up, it is problematic to have a one-dimensional approach towards the population. With reference to Benedict Anderson’s “Imagined Communities”, it is necessary to understand that Europe is in a juxtaposition between collective and coercion identity. With the end of Cold War in 1989 with the fall of USSR, European Union allowed the skilled and enthusiastic people from Global South. This led to an issue of integration and inclusiveness where there was no reciprocity between migrants and citizens of a country. The effect of the migrant population can be seen by the influence over the style and food. The facilitator further highlighted the criticism via the notes of Paul S in his book which speaks about the tolerance and optimism towards multiculturalism. With the influx of Muslims which has led to more conflicts and the fear that the ideologies of West would collapse and deteriorate further by this population being a burden on the economy. With Europe being a Christian dominated society, it became inacceptable and incompatible to accommodate the Jews and the Muslims. But due to the opposition of the mass migration in Europe, the Europeans in the name of supernatural loyalty moved from religion incompetency to secularisation. Since 9/11 the threat of Al-Qaida has complicated the issue of Muslims across the world and has led to contradiction with the West in regard to dealing with the Muslims. The way the values of the Europeans has been structured are now been questioned such as on equality of women, to be modern in their dress code which is against the fundamentals of Islamic religion. Since the end of the colonial era, Europe has to now look for a stand to accept the diversity and respect their norms and values by giving them equal rights and freedom which would build a new idea of superiority in terms of having a unified society which would stand as a stepping stone for other nations to take inspiration and inculcate it. The lecture concluded by a question and answer session and Dr Madhumati Deshpande gave the Vote of Thanks.

Thus, the interaction was fruitful and we are looking forward to have a meet and great with his students. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Department for arranging this enlightening talk.

B.R. Ambedkar in his Constituent Assembly speech of 1949 laments about the absence of equality in Indian society both in the economic and social spheres. The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019 initiated by the NDA government got the approval of the President of India and subsequently, Article 15 and 16 of Indian constitution got amended. Accordingly, two new clauses were added which equipped the state to offer a maximum of 10 percent reservation for the “economically weaker sections” (EWS) of Indian citizens.

The new clause (6) of Article 15 allows the state “to make any special provision including reservation in admissions to educational institutions, whether aided or unaided, other than minority educational institutions under Article 30(1).” The new clause (6) of Article 16 allows “reservations in appointments or posts under the state.”

The new reservation policy for EWS will bring the total reservation pool in India to 59.50 percent where SC, ST and OBC are provided reservation at the rate of 15 percent, 7.5 percent and 27 percent respectively

It is a widely known fact to the political and legal experts in India that in the Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) case the Supreme Court of India ruled that the provision of the reservation shall be based upon rationality and not negate the crux of concept and practice of equality, thereby ceiling the maximum limit of the reservation to be 50 percent. But the 10 percent reservation of EWS is going against the Supreme Court’s 50 percent ceiling judgement.

There were many instances in the past where the high courts and Supreme courts of India has declared reservation provisions offered by the governments exceeding 50 percent or on the basis of income as null and void. The court verdicts in Jat reservation, Patel reservation, Gujjar reservation and Maratha reservation stand as a testimony for the same. Interestingly, in all these cases, the Supreme Court or High Court verdicts were an outcome of testing legislation or an executive order against the Constitutional provisions as they existed then. But, now in the case of EWS reservation, the NDA government has adopted the route of Constitutional amendment which altogether makes a different angle of judicial scrutiny. Unlike the previous inspections, now the Supreme Court will have to introspect whether the EWS quota negates the basic structure of the constitution.

The Supreme Court had ruled in the Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975) that the explanation for the basic structure is contextual and would be determined by the Court in each case that comes before it.

Having said this, there are certain legal infirmities that can also make the EWS reservation as a constitutionally weaker one. The fundamental principle of OBC reservation was that socially and educationally backward communities are generally economically backwards too. But it is not statistically proven whether economically backward communities are necessarily socially and educationally backwards. It is also evidently proven that while social and educational traits are comparatively immutable and quantifiable, economic backwardness is an unstable benchmark that can be manipulated or fudged.

Reservation is meant to promote substantive equality by remedial action in support of the under-represented sections of the society. It is a matter of legal and intellectual debate to fit in the beneficiaries of EWS into this category of remedial action. The income limit of eight lakhs for availing the benefit of EWS reservation put forward another question to redefine the concept of rich and poor.

In the history of India, there are instances where the numerically significant and socially forward sections of the society have leveraged the opportunities of electoral politics to include them into the ambit of reservation benefits in education and public employment. In the matters of constitutional amendments relating to reservation, Supreme Court is generally supportive and has also taken a firm stand when it comes to the '50 per cent ceiling rule' and the concept of 'creamy layer’. Now it is a matter of curiosity, which will have widespread multiple implication, to see whether Supreme will stand stern and reaffirm the 50 percent ceiling or dilute its stand by defining the basic structure of Indian constitution in such a way that EWS reservation pass the judicial scrutiny successfully.

The killings of Shias community are a manifestation of perpetual anarchy that has gripped the ‘land of the pure’ – Pakistan, with no hope of refuge for the targeted community. The Shias of Balochistan remain the worst hit. Militant outfits, like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and its extremist allies like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along with subtle State support, and ideological backing from religious elites, forms the militant troika that has encouraged and thereby sustained the massacre of Shia community.

According to South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), since 2001 at least 2693 persons were killed and 4847 persons were injured in 471 attacks on Shia community in Pakistan. Recently on November 23, 2018, a suicide bomber on a motorbike rammed through a market place outside a Shia religious seminary, in northwestern Orakzai district near the border with Afghanistan, killing at least 30 people, including members of minority S Sikh community. Over 50 people were injured in the terror at attack targeted at Shias. A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The historicity of sectarian difference trace back to the period after Prophet Muhammad’s demise in 632 A.D. when his followers split into supporters of Ali (Shias) and those supporting the companions of Prophet (Sunni). This broad division between the Shias and the Sunnis has over a period of 1400 years been thoroughly exploited by the power seekers -- both within and without.

Sunni militants group in Pakistan have propagated their violent ideologies with impunity and in the most open manner possible. According to Sunni extremists, “All Shias are wajib-ul-qatl. We will rid Pakistan of the unclean race. The real meaning of Pakistan is pure land and Shias have no right to live here. We have the fatwa (religious edict) and signatures of the Ulema (religious scholar) in which the Shias have been declared kaafir [infidel] ... Our mission [in Pakistan] is the abolition of this impure sect, the Shias and the Shia-Hazaras, from every city, every village, every nook and corner of Pakistan....”

Despite these barefaced intimidations, Government of Pakistan as well as provinces government, instead of initiating any remedial measures has taken steps that have worsened the increasing graph of attack against the Shias community. The insufficient judiciary in Pakistan has created circumstances where hardly any militant has been convicted of sectarian violent behavior or other terrorism.

Noticeably, Islamabad’s inaction in mounting effective resistance against the terrorists is suggestive of collusion and collaboration, each serving the interest of the other. Pakistan has become the operational base for various sectarian terrorist groups. The killing of Shias is a demonstration of the existence of an embedded militant troika – where three important players – religious extremists, militant operators, and State, work in tandem in massacring the fraught community.

Human trafficking in Bangladesh is very intense. Bangladesh acts like a transit zone for the phenomenon of human trafficking. Men, women, and children are all victims of this ongoing social crisis. They are either forced into labor or prostitution. A large share of these victims is recruited by fraudulent employees who claim to work overseas. Then, they are eventually exploited in forms of labor or debt bondage.

Children face commercial sexual exploitation. The situation gets worse when parents sell their children into bondage.These men and women willingly migrate to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon,Malaysia, Liberia, and other countries for work. These are done under legal terms on a contractual basis. While they seek employment overseas, it is done through a legal channel with agencies like Bangladesh Association of international recruiting agencies. These agencies can charge individuals up to $1500 and still place them in low paying and less skilled jobs that fetches them hardly $100- $150 per month.

The condition and treatment of these victims are deplorable. They are brutally raped, beaten ruthlessly, and are kept in dungeons. These victims live in poverty. Unfortunately, this becomes the only source of income for these families. The phenomenon is inhuman because families are involved in selling their own children to the perpetrators.

In Bangladesh, trafficking is one of the most prominent money making businesses. Bangladesh lies on the tier two watch list. This is because the Bangladesh Government hasn’t been successful in eliminating the problem of trafficking even at the minimal level. However, the Government of Bangladesh has claimed to have made significant efforts. There are large-scale organized crimes in Bangladesh due to the following reasons: a) Businesses like human trafficking fetches them high profits, b) low penalty charges and punishments are based on the intensity and nature of business. This has attracted many trafficking gangs or criminal gangs.

Mohammad Jamil Khan, a humanitarian crisis researcher, in his study during 2015 stated that people who voluntarily migrated to Iran were initially unsuccessful in finding jobs. Human trafficking gangs based in Iran were attracting Bangladeshis because they promised good jobs. They were then held captive and taken to areas far from the mainland where they were tortured and their families were threatened to send money over. Some people were sent back but some were still held captive even after the money was given to them. The torture continued and some were killed as well.

As seen in several studies over the last 30 years, one million children and women were smuggled out of the country. The recent report of UNICEF states that around 400 children and women are trafficked each month. While another report stresses upon the fact that close to 3 lakh women and children have been smuggled between India and Bangladesh in the last few years. These women and children belong to the age group of 12-30.

Bangladesh is a significant trafficking hub that links South Asia to the Gulf region. The principal route that the traffickers follow starts from Dhaka, leads to Mumbai, followed by Karachi and Dubai. Human traffickers use 20 transit points located in 16 districts to smuggle people from Bangladesh to India. Some transit points have been discovered very recently to smuggle people from Kazi in Bangladesh to South –East Asian countries using water routes.

It is predominantly noted that 1 out of every 5 children in Bangladesh is a victim of Human Trafficking. This issue is a domestic and security issue. It’s a security issue because human trafficking includes transactional crimes, corruption, law and order confidence on government, vulnerability of the national boundaries, etc. It persists as a domestic issue because human trafficking leads to threatening of individual survival, dignity, livelihood, fear, physical abuse, starvation, house arrests and forced use of drugs and alcohol.

Human traffickers are also buying acres of land and enrolling themselves in the voters list to create cover for their illegal cross border operations.These victims suffer from grave mental stress, negative social treatment. They suffer from health issues even after they are rescued. This is especially in women who are trafficked for prostitution purposes and end up with diseases like HIV AIDS. Human Trafficking isn’t just a violation of human rights, it has serious consequences on health as well.

There can’t be a complete elimination of this problem at once. It is a long-term goal. However, measures have been taken to punish the perpetrators of such activities.There is also a need to strengthen the anti-trafficking network in Bangladesh. A shelter and rehabilitation program for the rescued women and children has to be created.Parents, and society in general should be willing to accept the trafficking victims back into their family with cordiality.