Infinite Interplay of Radcliffe Award’s Lethal Legacy: Nuclear Flash Point in the Making

Abstract

The Radcliffe Award, a catastrophic boundary demarcation line established in 1947, has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since independence. This study investigates how this unjust Radcliffe Award birthed, amongst several others, a duo of perennial conflict sources between  Pakistan and India viz. (i) protracted Kashmir dispute, and (ii) compromised Pakistan's water security by unfairly allocating Muslim majority areas and critical water resources to India. Kashmir dispute has already sparked multiple full-scale conventional wars, while the water security issue has similar potential to escalate into large-scale conflict. Most alarmingly, a war between two nuclear-armed states like Pakistan and India risks the catastrophic use of strategic nuclear warheads, which could be unleashed by any desperate state facing defeat. This chilling prospect underscores the imperative need for diplomatic resolution and conflict prevention, lest the region teeters on the brink of nuclear annihilation. Through scrutinizing existing literature and historical events, this research aims to elucidate the complex dynamics driving tensions and assess the likelihood of nuclear escalation. It finds that Muslims of the subcontinent had long been struggling to get a separate home land at the end of colonial rule, in order to avert the specter of communal riots, the breeding grounds of instability, after the British relinquish its imperial rules. However, contrary to their aspirations for human security, regional peace, and sustainable development, the unjust Radcliffe Award coupled with its arbitrary decisions sowed the seeds of enduring instability in the region. This paper's findings also shed new light on the long-term consequences of the Radcliffe Award. The study derives its signifies by examining the intricate relationships between water security and human security as well as regional stability, this research contributes meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge, providing valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders seeking to address the protracted conflicts and disputes.