Exploring the Nexus between Resource-Scarcity and Violent Conflict in Pakistan

Abstract

The quintessential consideration of the resource-scarcity and violent conflict relationship is crucial as the increasing scarcity of the natural resources globally is expected to result into a fierce competition among the states and may escalate into violent conflicts. This paper underscores the significant factors contributing to the intra-stare violent conflicts in Pakistan based on the global environmental flashpoints and uses the qualitative methodology to explore the issues of structural scarcity and ecological marginalization in Pakistan. Furthermore, the document analysis technique has been used to review the literature on environmentally-induced conflicts and to evaluate the tendency of escalation of inter-state conflicts between Pakistan and India. The paper also explores the 'water wars rationale' by evaluating the water discourse in Pakistan and India and maintains that the issue of water scarcity in both states has the tendency to escalate into a "water war" that would be first of its kind and will have serious consequences for the regional and international peace.

Conflict Sensitivity in Development: A Study On Proposed Arial Beel International Airport Project In Bangladesh

“…However, little has been written on the national development plan from a conflict sensitivity lens. Islam and Alam (2018) studied a few cases of development projects and examined the connections between mega-development projects and their relationship with resource scarcity and conflicts in Bangladesh. When people see pressure on their livelihood and a question of potential population displacement arises, they often go against the project (Islam and Alam, 2018).…”

“…Islam and Alam (2018) studied a few cases of development projects and examined the connections between mega-development projects and their relationship with resource scarcity and conflicts in Bangladesh. When people see pressure on their livelihood and a question of potential population displacement arises, they often go against the project (Islam and Alam, 2018). Not from an insensitive development perspective but from a neoliberal, privatised economic perspective, Chowdhury (2020) examined the 2006 Phulbari mining and resistance movement and argued that homegrown anti-mining agitation developed against foreign direct investment due to its environmental threats and livelihood concerns, unethical practice and development-induced displacement.…”

“…The new project site, Arial Beel, with about an area of 136 square kilometres, has been a wetland on which many people have lived. The locals reacted to this proposed development plan when the district commissioner ordered land acquisition (Islam and Alam, 2018). A resentment, therefore, grew amongst the local population of the Munshiganj area as the government did not take responses from the local people for this mega project that required the acquisition of 25,000 acres of land (Mamun, 2017).…”