De-Bordering in South Asia: Possibilities and Challenges

The British colonial rule ended in South Asia a long time ago; however, the borders that they had drawn continue to define the regional political-economic dynamics. Today, South Asia is a growing region with demographic dividends and is well-connected with the world. Nevertheless, the regional connection is weak and full of contradictions. South Asia, as a post-colonial and post-partition region, still needs to address issues that continue to divide it on specific socio-political grounds. There are complex and highly securitised borders, like between India and Pakistan and India and Bangladesh. The open borders between India and Nepal are not entirely free of debate and contestation. Therefore, it is safe to say that the border story in South Asia affects regional politics and hinders regional cooperation. South Asia, which requires regional economic cooperation, is in urgent need of de-bordering, and this is the central theme of the proposed chapter. The chapter, while discussing the artificiality of the borders in South Asia, divulges the possibilities of de-bordering and will also explain the challenges in the process.