M. Kaiser
In India, there are different separatist movements, mainly in the north & north-east part of the country. Among them three have been main secessionist movements in regions like Kashmir, Punjab (demanding Khalistan), and Assam. Minor incidents have also occurred in Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and, Nagaland. The more important issue with these states however is territorial dispute with neighboring states. The most high profile separatist actions have been in Kashmir. A widespread armed insurgency started in Kashmir with the disputed 1987 election resulted in forming of militant wings which acted as a catalyst for the emergence of armed insurgency in the region.
Similarly a separatist moment erupted from Assam. In the 1980s the Brahmaputra valley saw a six-year Assam agitation triggered by the discovery of a sudden rise in registered voters on electoral rolls. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is famous separatist group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It seeks to establish Assam as a separate independent nation state through an armed movement in the Assam Conflict. According to historians, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan had Assam in mind as a part of East Pakistan or ‘Bang-e-Islam’ when he set in motion the partition plan. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in his book, ‘Myths of Independence’ wrote, “It would be wrong to think that Kashmir is the only dispute between India and Pakistan, though undoubtedly the most significant one, but one nearly as important as the Kashmir dispute is that of Assam and some districts of India adjacent to East Pakistan.” Ever since independence, the Northeast and Kashmir have been embroiled in socio-political unrest and militancy due to local grievances and foreign machinations which unto this day remain largely unaddressed.