Politics and Security in South Asia SALIENCE OF RELIGION AND CULTURE

The overview offers a policy grammar for identity-aware governance. It recommends constitutional and legal protections for minority rights, impartial law enforcement against hate crimes, and electoral and party-finance rules that penalize incitement. Education and media are treated as core security tools: curricula that teach plural histories and critical thinking; public broadcasters and independent regulators that curb disinformation without stifling debate. The regional track calls for protocols on managing cross-border identity flashpoints and for scholarly and civil-society exchanges that reduce misperception. Implementation relies on institutions—independent commissions, judicial capacity, professional policing—and on everyday practices such as inclusive service standards in health, education and local administration. Progress is tracked through incident trends, access to justice, and perception surveys. The message is straightforward: legitimacy flows from dignity; security sustains when people feel seen within the political community.