Professor Salvatore Babones. Image from Twitter
The furore Professor Salvatore Babones caused recently when he declared that the Western intelligentsia is by and large anti-India and anti-Hindu, is perhaps not surprising. For quite some time now, Bharat has, for example, been on the receiving end of attacks on its human rights record which have come from both foreign interest groups and those from within the nation itself. But these attacks seem to be rooted in hatred and resentment rather than in truth and facts.
Professor Babones posits that there is an informal anti-India alliance between the globalist Islamist movement and Western elites. While it is entirely true that in practice, neither of these two camps would agree with each other when it comes to the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and most importantly, democracy and liberal values, their hatred and resentment of Bharat bonds them together against a perceived enemy. This hypocritical stance places Bharat as the enemy of my enemy.
The anti-Bharat movement spearheaded by Islamists and Western elites relies on the accusation that human rights violations are rampant. For example, Elaine Pearson from Human Rights Watch (HRW) wonders whether Bharat is given a free pass on its human rights record. There are three claims Pearson makes. The first is that there is systematic discrimination against religious minorities, the second is that peaceful activists and government critics are detained on spurious charges and finally, the third is that free expression is restricted through the use of technology. However, what Pearson fails to mention is when compared to neighbouring countries, Bharat fares much better.
From the period between 2012-22 Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have all had their fair share of issues in relation to human rights violations. For example, Bharat saw a significant rise in the lack of human rights protections during the three-year period 2020-22. In each of these years, Bharat has maintained an average score of 7.5 on the human rights index compiled by Global Economy. In 2020 and 2021 it ranked higher than Bangladesh and Pakistan, but it was equal to Pakistan in 2022 at a ranking of 7.4 points. Of course, it would be fallacious to ignore this sudden rise of the lack in human rights protections, but it would be equally fallacious to ignore this within the broader context of its neighbours.
In the same eleven-year period, Bangladesh’s lowest point score was 6.8 in 2012 whereas it peaked to its highest point in 2014 reaching 8. In this two-year period, there was a rise of over 1.2 points. But following this peak, in each subsequent year Bangladesh has maintained a 7 plus point score for lack of human rights protections which suggest that improvements at a governmental level have not been made.
Pakistan, however, appears to be doing even worse than Bangladesh. In the same 11-year period, its lowest point was at 7.1 whereas its highest was a staggering 8.7 with a difference of 1.6 points. In the period between 2012 and 2017 it maintained a score of 8 plus, whereas in the period between 2018 and 2022 it maintained a point score of 7 plus. Its lowest point score of 7.1 is still higher than Bangladesh’s lowest point score of 6.8.
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When it comes to Bharat, over half of the eleven-year period is dominated by a point score of less than 6, whereas the remaining years range between 6 and 7.6 points. However, it is important to note that the peaks came in the period between 2020 and 2022 with a range between 7.4 and 7.7. In any case, there was a sharp 2-point rise between 2019 and 2020. Despite this, in comparison to its neighbours, Bharat still fares better.
Bharat’s lowest point score is 5.6, whereas Bangladesh’s is 6.8 — that is over a 1-point difference between the two countries. Yet in comparison to Pakistan’s lowest point score of 7.1, Bharat remains 1.5 points lower. To further advance this, both Bangladesh and Bharat have an equal high point of 7.7. However, context matters. Bharat has only three years where its point score was 7 plus (27 per cent), whereas Bangladesh has a 7 plus point score for eight of the 11 years (72 per cent) amounting to a 45 per cent difference between the two countries. In comparison to Pakistan, the results are even more staggering.
Pakistan’s lowest point score is 7.1, whereas its highest peak is 8.7. In comparison to Bharat, there is a difference between 1.5 points between their lowest scores (Pakistan being the higher scorer) and in comparison, between the highest score, again Pakistan is a whole 1 point higher than Bharat. Furthermore, over half (54 per cent) of Pakistan’s point score is 8 plus with the 46 percent remainder scoring 7 plus. Bharat, on the other hand, has achieved a majority score of under 6 points (54 percent) with the remainder averaging between 6 and 7 plus points.
Statistics matter because they provide an accurate numerical picture that captures the nuances from qualitative case studies. This is demonstrable by the fact that the average points between the three countries cannot be disputed. Pakistan has an average point score of just under 8, which makes it the worst performing country on human rights protections between the three nations. Bangladesh comes in at second place with an average point score of 7.3. Both countries are over 1 point higher than Bharat, which has an average point score of 6.3.
While it is true there has been a sudden rise in apparent human rights violations in relation to Bharat, it is also equally true that the rise is the exception, not the rule when compared to its neighbouring countries. This is an important point that needs to be made while accusations are being levied against one of the largest democracies in the subcontinent. The hatred and resentment Bharat receives is not predicated on truth and facts, it is rather rooted in lies and deceit. This needs to be challenged at all levels, because to allow these accusations to go unchallenged, will leave the impression that there is some truth in the accusations, when that is clearly not the case.
Islamists and Western elites work in tandem to paint Bharat dark. Time has come to challenge these lies with facts. Bharat fares better than Bangladesh and Pakistan in relation to human rights. This is simply a fact.
The author is a writer and commentator based in London. Views expressed are personal.
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