BEYOND REALISM: A CONSTRUCTIVIST INTERPRETATION OF INDIA–PAKISTAN RELATIONS THROUGH IDENTITY, HISTORICAL MEMORY, AND RELIGIOUS POLITICS

Abstract

This study contends that the enduring India–Pakistan rivalry cannot be sufficiently explained by traditional realist assumptions that focus on material power asymmetry, nuclear deterrence, and territorial disputes. While realism captures the structural imperatives of competition, it overlooks the deeper ideational forces that sustain hostility despite repeated diplomatic engagement and shifts in strategic capabilities. Using constructivist theory as the primary analytical lens, the article demonstrates how national identities, historical memories, and elite-driven political narratives have entrenched mutually antagonistic threat perceptions since Partition. The analysis traces the evolution of competing identity projects—from the Two-Nation Theory, Hindu revivalism, and the institutionalization of Islam in Pakistan to the contemporary rise of Hindutva in India—and shows how these narratives shape strategic behaviour, public opinion, and policy choices. Employing qualitative methodology, including historical interpretation, discourse analysis, and comparative case studies, the study identifies a major gap in existing scholarship: the insufficient recognition of how identity politics and securitized narratives perpetuate conflict beyond material incentives. The article concludes that sustainable peace requires identity transformation, desecuritization, and normative engagement embedded in long-term political and societal processes rather than episodic diplomatic initiatives.