The assertion that the Two-Nation Theory has been rendered obsolete is not merely a misreading of history; it is an exercise in intellectual complacency. Its core proposition— that Muslims of the subcontinent constitute a distinct political, cultural, and civilizational community— has endured across time, geography, and political upheaval.
Despite repeated attempts to suppress or caricature it, the theory continues to assert itself in lived realities across South Asia. The evolving posture of Bangladesh, reclaiming its historical narrative amid persistent external interference, underscores that the Two-Nation Theory was never buried in 1971; it was merely obscured by expedient storytelling.
Pakistan and Bangladesh are siblings shaped by a common crucible of history— colonial exploitation, Hindu majoritarian domination, and the struggle for dignity and self-rule. Their separation did not negate the Two-Nation Theory; it exposed the perils of centralized power that ignored regional voices and democratic pluralism. Language differences, while politically instrumentalized, never erased shared faith, values, and aspirations. Rather, they highlighted the necessity of respecting diversity within unity.
Today, as separate nation-states, Pakistan and Bangladesh remain bound by civilizational ties, people-to-people connections, and a shared experience of resisting domination. Brotherhood is not measured by borders alone; it is sustained through common struggles and mutual respect.
India’s enduring discomfort with this reality explains its persistent interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. A stable, sovereign Bangladesh that asserts an independent foreign policy and reconnects with its Muslim identity challenges New Delhi’s baselessly constructed narrative that 1971 permanently interred the Two-Nation Theory. For decades, India has sought to freeze history at a convenient moment, portraying Bangladesh’s independence as proof of ideological failure rather than as a complex outcome shaped by regional inequities and external machinations. That narrative is now fraying as Bangladesh revisits its past without Indian mediation.
New Delhi’s strategy has been consistent and calculated: political engineering, media influence, economic pressure, and selective diplomacy— an unvarnished carrot-and-stick policy designed to keep Bangladesh within a narrow strategic orbit. Whenever Dhaka asserts autonomy, questions Indian intervention, or recalibrates its historical understanding, it is swiftly labeled “unstable.” This branding is not concern; it is coercion by narrative. The objective is clear— to manufacture uncertainty and deter independent decision-making.
The Two-Nation Theory has not only succeeded; it endures as a living framework of identity and solidarity. As Pakistan and Bangladesh reaffirm their bonds, they do so not to relitigate the past, but to secure a future anchored in dignity, sovereignty, and mutual respect—two nations, one enduring struggle.
India fears a Bangladesh that refuses to be a junior partner, that engages Pakistan without preconditions, and that remembers history on its own terms. Attempts to influence Bangladesh’s politics and frame internal dissent as security threats are not acts of regional stewardship; they are instruments of control. Sovereignty diluted by pressure is sovereignty denied. Such tactics aim to ensure that Bangladesh’s independence remains conditional, tethered to Indian preferences rather than Bangladeshi interests.
The warmth between Pakistanis and Bangladeshis— rooted in shared faith, cultural affinities, and mutual empathy— is perceived in New Delhi as a strategic threat. People-to-people goodwill defies managed estrangement. It undermines the premise that these brotherly nations must remain apart, suspicious, and severed by curated histories. Yet this affinity persists, resilient and organic, precisely because it is not manufactured by states but sustained by societies.
Efforts to destabilize Bangladesh through conspiracies and targeted violence will not succeed. Such designs, including the recent killing of student leader Osman Hadi, starkly signal attempts to foment fear and fracture social cohesion. History, however, offers a lesson India seems unwilling to heed: coercion breeds resistance, not compliance. Bangladesh’s trajectory toward sovereign self-definition cannot be derailed by intimidation or subterfuge.
With firm support from Pakistan and a shared resolve against Hindutva-driven interference, Pakistan and Bangladesh are poised to corner an ideology that thrives on division and dominance. Hindutva’s mechanization of state power—exported through proxies, pressure, and propaganda—stands exposed as an anachronism in a region yearning for equitable coexistence.
The Two-Nation Theory has not only succeeded; it endures as a living framework of identity and solidarity. As Pakistan and Bangladesh reaffirm their bonds, they do so not to relitigate the past, but to secure a future anchored in dignity, sovereignty, and mutual respect—two nations, one enduring struggle.
