Roots of extremism in the Punjab & its surroundings: A story of 300 years
It is important to map roots of communalism or fatal legacy of faith based conflicts in #SouthAsia. Some people tries to link it with bloody partition of 1947 in order to pinch creation of Pakistan, Some people link it with 1947 communal division of the Punjab & Bengal, someone link it with Hindi Urdu controversy of 20th century, Some historians are more smart so they found roots of communal infighting in 2nd half of 19th century. There are some more smart people who told us that communal conflict was there in South Asia since centuries. So it is important to map it first. State had emerged in post Kingship era and it had coined Law,Media & Education as its lethal intellectual weapons to control the Subject. If a State use religion card extensively its trickle down effect will bulldoze the society itself in near future for sure. Exactly it happened in the first half of 19th century when colonial power had annexed areas from Bengal to Delli but failed to move forward because emergence of Lhore Darbar stopped its advances for 50 years. You can easily map emergence of numerous faith based conflicts in our lands during that period. Listen the lecture, its part 1.
A lecture series about the #Punjab & its surroundings including #Kashmir #KhyberPukhtunKhwa #Baluchistan #Baltistan #Sindh
Understanding Ranjit Singh, its times & the politics of that time may help to unfold many new realities regarding rise of extremism and role of the power politics with special reference of using religion card by colonial powers.
The story started from post #mughal period, covered 18th century informal #decentralization and its confrontation with colonial #european powers in the Punjab. Rise of Jathydari system & creation of #Misals and confrontation of new local elite along with defeat of non #English forces.
What was Lhore Darbar and how Maharaja Ranjit Singh out classed all his opponents and adopted wise policies.
It is important to keep in mind international, regional as well as subcontinental & Punjab scenarios while analyzing post mughal period and especially the period between 1799 to 1849.
The period of 18th & 19th centuries was an interesting times, internationally. Huge Kingships were falling or crumbling or ready to change emphasis inwards, new worlds were opening, geography base Kingships were in action along with constitutional kingships & colonization phenomenon. In general it was a gradual shift towards nation state syndrome.
At regional as well as #SouthAsian level it was time of emergence of local powers and you can easily witnessed it in South Asia, West Asia as well as Central Asia.
(To be continue)
Here you may watch First lecture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZw0Yu4RFg&t=3501s
Other parts are in process
Some interesting links
A book
https://www.amazon.com/Brave-Lion-Viscount-Military-1757-1955/dp/1910294616
The Hardinge Letters
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/camden-fourth-series/article/hardinge-letters/B1979339A033044432CF923BFBF7B6C2
page 189 note 285 Ellenborough was indignant about the post-war arrangements in the Northwest. He particularly singled out the creation of the Kashmir state and wrote to Hardinge (April 22) that ‘there have been times when the treaties with Golab Singh as the minister of the Lahore government and the detaching from the Lahore dominions a very extensive territory for the purpose of placing it under the independent authority of that minister, thus rewarding a traitor, would have been measures a little too oriental in principle.’ Hardinge, however, rejected this charge and bluntly asked his predecessor in a letter of 7 June if the British were ‘to treat the only man who had not lifted his arm against us with indifference’ (Ellenborough Papers, PRO, 30/12/21, no. 7).
page 192 note 288 One of the more troublesome problems arising out of the peace settlements of Mar. 1846 was the refusal of Sheikh Imam-ud-Din, the Lahore-appointed governor of Kashmir, to hand over the Himalayan province to Gulab Singh. Kashmir passed under Gulab Singh's official control in Nov.
page 202 note 301 No sooner had Iman-ud-Din quit Kashmir than he claimed that his opposition to Gulab Singh had been at the urgings of the Lahore minister. Considering the charge serious, Hardinge appointed a court of inquiry presided over by Currie. Early in Dec. the court found Lal Singh guilty, stripped him of his office, and expelled him from Panjab (Minute of the Court of Inquiry, 3 Dec. 1846, B.G.L.D., pp. 27–41).
Ethnicity, Religion, Military Performance and Political Reliability — British Recruitment Policy and The Indian Army — 1757-1947
http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/dec/ethnicity.htm
