CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIA 

1. South Asia

• South Asia usually includes these countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan
• The Himalayas in the north and the vast Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal in the south, west and east provide natural insularity to the region, which is largely responsible for the linguistic, social and cultural distinctiveness of the sub-continent
• The various countries in South Asia do not have the same political system
• Despite many problems and limitations, Sri Lanka and India have Successfully operated a democratic system since their Independence from the British
• Pakistan and Bangladesh experienced both civilian and military rulers, with Bangladesh remaining a democracy in the post-Cold-War Period
• Nepal was a Constitutional monarchy with the danger of the king taking over executive powers
• In 2008, the monarchy was abolished and Nepal emerged as a democratic republic
• Bhutan became a Constitutional monarchy in 2008
• Maldives was a sultanate until 1968 and it Transformed into a republic with a presidential form of government
• Despite the mixed record of Democratic Experience, people share democratic aspirations

2. Timeline of South Asia Since 1947

3. Military Democracy in Pakistan

• After Pakistan made its first Constitution; General Ayub Khan took over the administration of the Country and soon got himself elected.
• He had to give up office after many allegations against his rule; this gave a way to military takeover under Yahyay Khan
• During Yahya’s military rule, Pakistan faced the Bangladesh crisis, and after that war with India in 1971 which led to the Independence of East Pakistan which emerged as Bangladesh
• After this, an elected government under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power in Pakistan from 1971 to 1977
• Bhutto government was removed by General Zia al-Haq in 1977, and he faced a pro-democracy movement from 1982 onwards an elected democratic government was established once again in 1988 under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto 
• This phase of elected democracy lasted till 1999 when the army stepped in again and General Parvez Musharraf removed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
• In 2001, General Musharraf got himself elected as president, and Pakistan continued to rule under army rule
• Since 2008, democratically elected leaders ruling the Pakistan
• Pakistan’s rivalry with India has made the pro-military groups more powerful
• The United States of America and other Western countries have encouraged military rule in Pakistan for their own reasons

4. Democracy in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh was part of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971
• It consisted of areas of Bengal and Assam from British India
• The people of this region resented the domination of Western Pakistan and the imposition of the Urdu Language
• Soon after the partition, they started to protest against the unfair treatment towards Bengali Culture and Language
• They also demanded fair representation in administration and a fair share of political power
• Sheikh Mujhib ur Rahman led the popular struggle against West Pakistani domination and demanded autonomy for the eastern region
• In the 1970 elections, the Awami group led by Sheikh Mujhib ur Rahman won all seats in East Pakistan and secured a majority in the Proposed Constituent Assembly for the whole Pakistan election
• Under the military rule of General Yahya Khan, the Pakistani army tried to suppress the mass movement of the Bengali People, thousands were killed by the Pakistan Army
• This led to large migration to India, which became a problem for India, creating a huge refugee problem for India
• The Government of India supported the demand of the people of East Pakistan for their independence and helped them financially and militarily
• This resulted in a war between India and Pakistan in December 1971 which ended the surrender of the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh as an Independent Country
• Bangladesh drafted its own constitution declaring faith in Secularism, democracy, and Socialism
• In 1975, Sheikh Mujib got the constitution amended and abolished all other parties except his own Awami League which led to conflicts
• Sheikh Mujib was assassinated in 1975 with a military uprising
• The new military ruler, Ziaur Rahman formed his own Bengal National Party and won elections in 1979
• He was assassinated and another military leader took over under the leadership of lt.Gen.H.M Ershad
• People of Bangladesh were soon in support of Bangladesh, especially students in the forefront, with mass public protests Ershad got down in 1990
• Elections were held in 1991, since then representative democracy based on party election has been working in Bangladesh

5. Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal

• Nepal was a Hindu Kingdom in the past and then a constitutional monarchy in the modern period for many years
• Political parties and common people wanted more open democracy but King with the help of the army retained full control over the government and restricted the expansion of democracy in Nepal
• The king accepted the demand for democracy in 1990, in the wake of a pro-democracy movement
• During the nineties Maoists of Nepal were successful in spreading their influence in many parts of Nepal, they believed in armed insurrection against the monarch and the ruling elite
• This led to a violent conflict between Maoist guerrillas and King’s Army
• In 2002, King abolished the Parliament and dismissed the government, thus ending even the limited democracy that existed in Nepal
• In 2006, there were massive, country-wide, pro-democracy protests, they achieved their first major victory when the king was forced to restore the House of Representatives that had been dissolved in 2002
• The largely non-violent movement led by Seven Party Alliance(SPA), the Maoists and social Activists
• Nepal formed a Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for Nepal
• In 2008, Nepal became a democratic republic after abolishing the monarchy, In 2015 they adopted a new constitution

6. Ethics Conflict and Democracy in Sri Lanka

• After its Independence, politics in Sri Lanka was dominated by forces that represented the interests of the majority Sinhala community
• They were hostile to a large number of Tamils who had migrated to Sri Lanka from India, the migration continued even after Independence
• The Sinhalese nationalists thought that Sri Lanka should not give Concessions to Tamils because Sri Lanka belongs to Sinhalese people only
• The neglect of Tamil people led to militant Tamil Nationalism
• Since 1983, the militant Organization, The Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been struggling with the army of Sri Lanka and demanding ‘Tamil Eelam’ or a separate Country for Tamils of Sri Lanka
• LTTE operates northern part of Sri Lanka
• The Sri Lankan problem involves people of Indian Origin, there was considerable pressure from the Tamil People in India to the effect that the Indian government should protect the interests of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
• The government of India has from time to time got directly involved with the Sri Lankan Government
• In 1987, the government of India for the first time involved directly with the Sri Lankan Government signed an accord and sent troops to stabilize the issue between Sri Lankans and Tamils
• This led to a fight between the Indian Army and LTTE, the presence of Indian troops was also not liked by the Sri Lankan government
• In 1989, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) pulled out of Sri Lanka without finishing its Objective
• The Sri Lankan crisis continued to be violent, however, international actors particularly Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Iceland tried to bring back peace and negotiations
• In 2009, it was all over and LTTE was Vanquished

7. India-Pakistan Conflicts

• Kashmir and the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir divided by the Line of Control
• In 1971, India won a decisive war against Pakistan but the Kashmir issue was unsettled
• India’s conflicts with Pakistan also with strategic issues like the Siachen glacier and over acquisition of arms
• Two nations assumed a new character by possessing nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver such arms against each other in the 1990s
• India conducted a nuclear explosion in Pokhran, in its response Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills
• The Indian government has blamed Pakistan for supporting Kashmir militants by supplying arms, training, money and protection to carry out terrorist strikes against India
• Indian government also believes that Pakistan supported Khalistani militants with arms and ammunition during the period 1985-95
• Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence is alleged to be involved in various anti-India campaigns in India’s northeast, operating secretly from Bangladesh and Nepal
• The Pakistan government blames India for fomenting trouble in Sindh and Baluchistan
• India and Pakistan also have issues in sharing the river water
• In 1960, with the help of the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed The Indus Waters Treaty
• The two countries are not in line with the demarcation line in Sir Creek in the Runn of Kuch

8. India and its neighbours

Bangladesh

• The Indian government and Bangladesh government have differences over several issues including the sharing of Ganga and Brahmaputra river waters
• The Indian government is unhappy about Bangladesh’s denial of illegal immigration to India, its support to anti-Indian Islamic groups
• Bangladesh’s refusal to allow Indian troops to move through its territory to northeastern India
• Bangladesh’s decision not to export natural gas to India and allow Myanmar to do so through Bangladesh's territory
• Bangladesh government thinks that India behaves like a regional bully over the sharing of river waters, encouraging rebellion in Chittagong hills, trying to extract its natural gas and being unfair in trade
• Despite their differences India and Bangladesh do cooperate on many issues
• Bangladesh is a part of India’s Act East Policy (Look East) that wants to link up with Southeast Asia via Myanmar
• On Disaster Management, two states have cooperated regularly
• Nepal
• A treaty between the two countries was signed which allows citizens of the two countries to travel and work without a Visa and Passport
• The Indian government often expressed its displeasure at the warm relationship between China and Nepal
• Indian security agencies see growing Maoist movements in Nepal as a potential threat to India
• Many leaders and Citizens think that the Indian Government interferes with internal matters, has designs on its rivers and Hydroelectricity, and prevents Nepal, a landlocked country from getting access to the sea through Indian Territory
• Despite differences, trade, scientific cooperation, common natural resources, electricity generation and interlocking water management grids hold the two countries together

Sri Lanka

• Indian nationals and officials find it impossible the balance when Tamils are unhappy and politically killed
• After the military intervention in 1987, the Indian government preferred a policy of disengagement of Sri Lankan’s internal issues
• India signed a free trade agreement with Sri Lanka
• India’s help post-tsunami brought the two nations closer

Bhutan

• India enjoys a very special relationship with Bhutan and does not have any conflict with the Bhutanese government
• The efforts made by the Bhutan government to wipe out guerrillas and militants from northeastern India that operate in his country have been helpful to India
• India is involved in big Hydroelectric projects in Bhutan and remains the Himalayan kingdom’s biggest source of development aid.

Maldives

• Indian ties with Maldives remain warm and cordial
• In 1988, Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka attacked the Maldives, and the Indian air force and navy reacted quickly on the request of Maldives
• India has contributed towards the island’s economic development, tourism and fisheries

9. Peace and Cooperation

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

• It is a major regional initiative by the South Asian States to evolve cooperation through multilateral means
• It was established in 1985
• SAARC members signed a South Asian Free Trade (SAFTA) Agreement which promised the formation of a free trade zone for the whole of South Asia
• The agreement was signed in 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2006
• SAFTA aims at lowering trade tariffs