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India’s External Relations
Study the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The lack of genuine international support for democratic rule in Pakistan has further encouraged the military to continue its dominance. The United States and other Western countries have encouraged the military’s authoritarian rule in the past, for their own reasons. Given their fear of the threat of what they call ‘global Islamic terrorism’ and the
apprehension that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal might fall into the hands of these terrorist groups, the military regime in Pakistan has been seen as the protector of Western interests in West Asia and South Asia.
(i) What is meant by ‘global Islamic terrorism’ ?
(ii) Why did Pakistan lack genuine international support for democratic rule ?
(iii) Why was the military regime in Pakistan considered as the protector of Western
interests in West Asia and South Asia ?
(i) Global Islamic Terrorism is defined as a fear of threat by Islamic outfits funded by various Islamic Nations.
(ii) The lack of genuine international support for democratic rule in Pakistan has further encouraged the military to continue its dominance. The United States and other Western countries have encouraged the military’s authoritarian rule in the past, for their own reasons.
(iii)There was apprehension that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons might not go into the hands of the terrorist groups. Thus, they see the military regime in Pakistan as the protector of Western interests in West Asia and South Asia.
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“Broadly, non-alignment means not tying yourself off with military blocs... It means trying to view things, as far as possible, not from the military point of view, though that has to come in sometimes, but independently, and trying to maintain friendly relations with all countries. ” —Jawaharlal Nehru
(a) Why does Nehru want to keep off military blocs ?
(b) Do you think that the Indo-Soviet friendship treaty violated the principle of non-alignment ? Give reasons for your answer.
(c) If there were no military blocs, do you think non-alignment would have been unnecessary ?
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