Politics In India Since Independence Chapter 4 India’s External Relations

(i) After the World War, there were two blocs led by US and Soviet Union. NATO and the Warsaw Pact came into existence. The countries who had joined these alliances could not go against the US or Soviet Union or other members of the alliances. The clauses of the alliances were binding on them.

(ii) India did not join any group or alliance. So India could follow an independent policy. For example, in 1956 when Britain attacked Egypt over the Suez Canal issue, India led the world protest against this neo-colonial invasion.

Similarly international climate influenced India’s external relations. In 1962 China had invaded India and in 1965 there was a war with Pakistan who was an ally of the US. This led to India’s growing partnership with the Soviet Union. After the 1965 war, the Tashkent Agreement was brokered by the Soviet Union in January 1966. In 1971, 20 year Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union was too a result of the US-Pakistan-China axis.

(i) Policy of Non-alignment.

(ii) Friendly relations with Russia.

(iii) Afro-Asian Unity.

(iv) Comprehensive nuclear disarmament without discrimination.

(v) Use of Atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

(vi) Solution of international disputes by negotiations and peaceful methods.

(vii) Support for UNO.

If I were a decision maker, I would like to retain the following two aspects of India’s foreign policy :

(i) Comprehensive nuclear disarmament without any discrimination. The reason is that a nuclear war would destroy human civilisation on earth.

(ii) Solution of international disputes by negotiations and peaceful methods, as it is based on mutual consensus.

I would like to change the following two aspects :

(i) Policy of non-alignment: The reason for change is that in the present unipolar world is that it has become irrelevant. 

(ii) Friendly relations with Russia :We should prefer USA to Russia anymore in this unipolar world.

(i) India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had faith in science and technology for rapidly building a modern India. An important component of his industrialisation plans was the nuclear programme initiated under the guidance of Homi J. Bhabha.

(ii) India is in favour of use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

(iii) Nehru was against nuclear weapons.

(iv) India did not sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968 because it considered it as discriminatory.

(v) After conducting its first nuclear test, India termed it as peaceful explosion.

(b) In recent years there has been consensus in foreign policy matters. Since 1977 when the Janata Party came to power, all governments. Congress or non-Congress have taken initiatives for restoring better relations with China and entering into close ties with the US. Similarly efforts are being made to have good relations with Pakistan.

(i) India had outstanding disputes with China in the Aksai-Chin area and NEFA. In 1962 when the Cuban-Missile Crisis had drawn the attention of the whole world. China found an opportunity to invade India on both the disputed region. This led to war between India and China.

(ii) In 1965, there was war with Pakistan over the question of Kashmir. Pakistan had probably hoped that India had already been defeated by China, it would be easy to defeat India again. Pakistani rulers were also hoping to get support from the local population in Kashmir. This, however, did not happen and India defeated Pakistan.

(iii)The third war in 1971 was involved about the question of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, where people were fighting a freedom struggle against Pakistan rulers. So this was a result of internal conflict of Pakistan and not the failure of India’s foreign policy.

(b) No, Indo-Soviet friendship treaty did not violate the principle of non-alignment because it did not prevent India to have good relations with the US. Moreover this treaty was signed to counter the US-Pakistan-China axis at that time. 

(c) Even if there were no military bloc, the non-alignment would have been necessary.Non-alignment was based on a recognition that decolonised states share a historical affiliation and can become a powerful force if they come together. 

(i) India’s attainment of independence coincided with the beginning of the Cold War era. It was a period of political, economic and military confrontation at the global level between the two blocs led by the superpowers — the US and the USSR.

(ii)The UNO, a global body had established in 1945.

(iii)The trend of possesing Nuclear weapons was started by some countries.

(iv)Communist China had emerged and it was also the period of decolonisation.

(ii)India convened the Asian Relations Conference in March 1947, five months before attaining independence.

(iii)India made earnest efforts for the early realisation of freedom of Indonesia from the Dutch colonial regime. It convened an international conference in 1949 to support its freedom struggle.

(iv) India was a staunch supporter of the decolonisation process and firmly opposed racism, particularly apartheid in South Africa.

(v) India participated in the Bandung Conference of the newly independent Asian and African nations in 1955. This conference ultimately led to the establishment of the NAM.

(vi) Nehru was a co-founder of the NAM. The first summit of the NAM was held in Belgrade in September 1961 in which Nehru represented India.

(i) Friendly relations : (a) After the Chinese revolution in 1949, India was one of first countries to recognise the communist government.

(b) Prime Minister Nehru and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai adopted Panchsheel, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence on 29 April, 1954.

(ii) The Chinese Invasion and strained relationship : (a)China annexed Tibet in 1950 and thus removed a historical buffer between the two countries.

(b) Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama had sought asylum in India in 1959. China alleged that India was allowing anti-China activities in India.

(c) Boundary disputes arose between the two countries over Aksai-chin area in the Ladakh region and NEFA in the eastern region.

(d) The boundary disputes led to massive Chinese invasion in October 1962. Finally, the China declared a unilateral ceasefire but relations between two countries remained strained.

(i)The war dented India’s image at home and abroad. India had to approach the US and Britain for military assistance to tide over the crises.

(ii) The Soviet Union remained neutral during the conflict.

(iii) It induced a sense of humiliation and at the same time strengthened the spirit of nationalism.

(iv) Some of the top army commanders either resigned or were retired. The Defence Minister V. Krishna Menon too had to leave cabinet.

(v)Nehru’s own stature suffered and he was severelycriticised for his naive assessment of Chinese intentions and the lack of military preparedness.

(vi) For the first time a vote of no-confidence motion was moved and debated in the Lok Sabha.Soon thereafter, the Congress lost some key by-elections to Lok Sabha.

(vii)The war led to differences within the Communist Party of India. It was ultimately divided and the faction closer to China formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

(viii)To preserve national integration and political unity in the eastern region, its reorganisation began. Nagaland was granted statehood. Manipur and Tripura became Union Territories with right to elect their own legislative assemblies.

(i) There was dispute over Kashmir immediately after the partition. This led to a proxy war.

(ii) The Kashmir conflict did not prevent cooperation between two countries. Both cooperated to restore women abducted during partition to their original families. A dispute over sharing of river waters was resolved with the signing of Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.

(iii) A war broke out in 1965 in the Rann of Kutch and Jammu and Kashmir which ended with UN intervention. India and Pakistan had signed Tashkent Agreement which was brokered by the Soviet Union.

(iv) In 1971 another war had broken out between India and Pakistan over the question of East Pakistan, where India extended moral and material support to the freedom struggle  in Bagladesh. As a result of the war Bangladesh came into existence as a free country.

(i) China took control of Tibet in 1950 and started the suppressing the Tibetans.

(ii) The large section of the Tibetan population opposed this takeover. So, in 1958, there was armed uprising in Tibet against China’s occupation. This was suppressed by the Chinese forces.

Under these circumstances, a large number of Tibetans sought refuge in India and any many other countries of the world.

 (iii) Many political leaders and parties in India including Socialist Party and the Jana Sangh supported the cause of Tibet’s independence.

(iv) Many places like the national capital, Delhi and Dharmshala in India has became the largest refugee settlements for Tibetan.

(i) India adopted Non-alignment inorder to vigoursly pursue independent foreign policy.
(ii) (i)Due to the end of cold war.

(ii) Disintegration of USSR.

(iii) NAM has become an international movement because it is based on a resolve to democratise the international system by thinking about an alternative world order to redress existing inequities. These core ideas remain relevant even after the cold war has ended.

The differences:

 (i) Chinese takeover of Tibet.

 (ii) China’s competing territorial claims principally in Arunachal Pradesh and in the Aksai Chin region of Ladakh.

(i) It meant that the poor and often very small countries of the world need not become followers of any of the big powers, that they could pursue an independent foreign policy.

 (ii) It was also based on a resolve to democratize the international system by thinking about an alternate world order to redress existing inequalities.

 India‘s policy of non-alignment:

 (i) Not to join either of the two camps- the US and the USSR.

 (ii) Taking independent stand on various international issues. 

Directive Principles of State Policy for the promotion of international peace and security:

 The state shall endeavour to:

 (i) Promote international peace and security.

 (ii) Maintain just and honorable relations between nation.

 (iii) Foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organized people with one another.

 (iv) Encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.

The objectives of Nehru’s Foreign Policy were:

(i) Preserve the hard- earned sovereignty

(ii) Protect territorial Integrity

(iii) Promote rapid economic development

The objectives of Non-alignment were

(i) Preserve the hard- earned sovereignty.

(ii) Protect territorial Integrity.

(iii) Promote rapid economic development.

(iv) Distance from two camps.

The principles are:

(i) To protect territorial integrity

(ii) To preserve the hard earned sovereignty

The highlights are:

(i) India opposed the indefinite extension of NPT in 1995 and also refused to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) .

(ii) India conducted a series of nuclear tests in May 1998, demonstrating its capacity to use nuclear energy for military purposes.

(iii) India’s nuclear doctrine of credible minimum nuclear deterrence professes “ no first use”.

(iv) India reiterates commitment to global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament leading to a nuclear weapons free world.

The Sino-Indian conflict created irreconcilable differences within the Communist Party of India which was in opposition. It was split into Communist Party of India (Marxist) which was Pro-China and CPI which was Pro-Russia.

Objectives:
i. To preserve the hard earned sovereignty .
ii. To protect territorial integrity.

The issues of conflict between India and China:

(i) China tookover Tibet in 1950.

(ii) Tibetan spiritual leader sought and obtained political asylum in India in 1959.

(iii) Competing territorial claims principally in Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin region of Ladakh.

(iv) China occupied the Aksai-chin area in the Ladhak region of Jammu and Kashmir and had built a strategic road there.

(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.

Sino-Indian Relations since 1962
 It took more than a decade for India-China to resume normal relations.
 Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first top leader (the Foreign Minister) to visit China in 1979.
 Later, Rajiv Gandhi, them PM also visited China in 1988.

 Since then, the emphasis is more on improving relations and trade with China.
 Bilateral agreements have been signed on cultural exchanges and
cooperation in science and technology.
 Talks to resolve the boundary questions have continued without
interruption and military-to-military cooperation is increasing.
 Indian and Chinese leaders and officials visit Beijing and New Delhi with greater frequency.
 Increasing transport & communication links/opening of border
posts/adoption of similar policies in international economic institutions like
WTO is helping to establish a more positive relationship.
 China was seen as contributing to the buildup of Pakistan’s nuclear
programme.
 China’s military relations with Bangladesh and Myanmar were viewed as hostile to India’s interest in South Asia.

Indo-China relations from 1947-1962:-

(i) After the Chinese revolution in 1949, India was one of the first countries to recognize the communist government of China.

(ii) When China annexed Tibet in 1950, both the countries developed some differences.

(iii) In 1954, joint enunciation of Panchsheel was made by Indian Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.

(iv) In 1959, India gave political asylum to Dalai Lama. This annoyed China.

(v) In 1962, China invaded the territory of India and relations between both the countries got strained.

i) ‘Historical buffer’ means the country or area lies between two large and powerful countries, which acts like an insulator.

ii) India was a newly independent country and did not want to get involved with China unnecessarily. It was an internal matter of China, so India did not want to spoil its relation with China. But on later stage, India realized its mistake.

iii) It was fully justified to help them on humanitarian grounds as well as a good neighbour country.