Indian Foreign Policy Principals

Lesson – 9

INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY Learning Objectives 1. Pupil understands the main features of India’s foreign policy. 2. Pupil acquires knowledge about Panch Sheel. 3. Pupil learns about Non-alignment policy. 4. Pupil understands the importance of Regional Co-operation. 5. Pupil knows India’s relationship with her neighbours and other countries. A country’s relation with the other countries of the world is known as her External Relations. The External relation of a country is based on certain principles and policies. They are collectively called as External Policy or Foreign Policy. The involvement of a country on the basis of such policy in world matters is known as the Role of that country in World Affairs. India’s foreign policy was evolved with the background of her colonial sufferings. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was the chief architect of India’s foreign policy. 1. Promotion of World Peace, 2. Anti-Colonialism, 3. Anti-Imperialism, 4. Anti-Racialism, 5. Panch Sheel, 6. Non-Alignment, 7. Good Neighbourhood, 8. Regional Co-operation, 9. Role in the Common Wealth and 10. Anti-Terrorism became the main features of India’s foreign policy since 1947. 1. Promotion of World Peace : India believes in the United Nations Organisation’s principle of Peace and Development. Without peace there is no progress of mankind. India is a member of the U.N.O. from 1945. Nehru’s sister Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman President of the U.N. General Assembly (1953 – 54). As a member of the U.N.O. India played an active role in reducing world tension when there was a war between North Korea and South Korea in 1950, during the Indo-China 117

Crisis in 1954, the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Cango problem (1960 – 64) and the Angolan Crisis. India sent her military forces to help the U.N. maintain peace in Congo, Angola, Gaza and Cyprus. India lent her full support to the U.N. in resolving the Gulf Crisis in 1991. 2. Anti-Colonialism : India suffered a lot under the colonial rule of the British. India knew the evils of economic exploitation under colonialism. Therefore she did not want the continuation of colonialism in any part of the world under any form. She was interested particularly in the de-colonisation of the Asian, African and Latin American countries. Hence anti-colonialism became one of the main features of her foreign policy. 3. Anti-Imperialism : India was conscious of the serious consequences of imperialism by the West. Conquest, annexation and administration of a weak country by a powerful nation is called imperialism. Imperialism was one of the major causes for the First and Second World Wars (1914 – 18 and 1939 – 45). Since India was worst affected during these wars and got independence immediately after the Second World War, she was opposed to imperialism wherever it existed and in whatever form. The Economic Imperialism of the advanced countries is worst than the earlier form of imperialism. India is always opposed to any form of imperialism. 4. Anti-Racialism : The Western countries practised racialism. They treated the Asian and African people as inferior. They did not accept the racial equality of the Asians when Japan fought for it in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference. However, the rise of Japan and China put an end to their superior attitude. Gandhi fought against it in South Africa before he involved in India’s freedom movement. Inspite of it the South African White Government followed the ‘Apartheid’ policy against the blacks. India had raised this issue for the first time in the U.N.O. in 1946. It was due to the continuous struggle of Nelson Mandela and constant moral support of India that the ‘Apartheid’ policy has been dismantled recently. 5. Panch Sheel : India and China are neighbours in Asia. There existed historical and traditional relations between these two countries for several centuries. After China became a Communist 118

State in 1949, India moved closer with her. There was the visit of Nehru to China and China’s Prime Minister Chou-En-Lai to India. Both countries had entered into an agreement in 1954 on the basis of Five Principles, called the Panch Sheel. They were : 1. Mutual respect for each others’ territorial integrity and sovereignty, 2. Mutual non-aggression, 3. Mutual noninterference in each others internal matters, 4 Equality and mutual benefits, and 5. Peaceful Coexistence.

Nehru and Chou-En-Lai

These principles were accepted by as many as 29 Afro-Asian countries which took part in the Bandung Conference held in Indonesia in 1955. Even now these principles are relevant in good neighbourly relations. 6. Non-Alignment : The word ‘non-aligned’ was coined by V.K. Krishna Menon. Jawaharlal Nehru made it the basic concept of India’s foreign policy. After the Second World War, the United States and the former Soviet Union (Russia) had been engaged in Cold Wars, Arms-race, building of nuclear weapons and forming military blocs. The Capitalist United States backed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). Communist Russia backed the Warsaw Pact countries in the West and Communist China in the East. It created a great threat to world security and peace. India did not want to join in any of the blocs. She did not want to ally with any country. This is known as non-alignment. It does not mean neutrality. It means independent course of action in international issues. India wanted the newly independent African and Asian countries to follow this policy. There was good support for this policy in the Bandung Conference. Countries which accepted this policy came closer. It became a movement, called the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM). India’s Nehru, Yugoslavia’s Tito, Indonesia’s Sukarno and Egypt’s Nasser became the chief exponents of this policy. 119

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They conducted the first conference of NAM at Belgrade in Yugoslavia in 1961. The second conference was held at Cairo in Egypt in 1964. At this conference Lal Bahadur Shastri spelt out this policy’s positive programme. They are (1) Nuclear Disarmament, (2) Peaceful settlement of border disputes, (3) Freedom from foreign domination, aggression, subversion and racial discrimination, (4) Speeding up of economic development through international co-operation and (5) Full support for the United Nations and its programme for ‘peace and development.’ The non-aligned countries acted as a third bloc in the U.N.O. The developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America which supported the reasonable arguments of the non-aligned countries came to be known as Third World Countries. About 12 summits have been conducted by NAM in the 20th Century. There are more than 112 countries as members of this movement. This movement is still relevant in the multi-polarised world to protect peace and security. 7. Good Neighbourhood Policy : India always wanted to have good neighbourly relations with China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma) and Maldives. India has entered into regional cooperation with these neighbours. I.K. Gujral, former Prime Minister of India, spelt out the Five Principles of India’s ‘neighbourhood’ policy in 1996. They are : (1) Non-Reciprocal treatment, (2) Respect for territorial integrity, (3) Non-interference in the internal affairs, (4) No use of territory by any State against the interests of another, and (5) Direct talks to settle disputes. This is known as the Gujral Doctrine. 8. Regional Co-operation through SAARC : India believes in regional co-operation. Bangladesh came forward to work with India. The South Asian countries formed an associaltion called, the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). Its first meeting was held at Dacca in Bangladesh in December 1985. Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, became its headquarters from 1986. (1) India, (2) Bangladesh, (3) Pakistan, (4) Nepal, (5) Bhutan, (6) Sri Lanka, and (7) Maldives are the 7 members now. The aim of this Association is to help each other in the social, economic and cultural fields. It has no political agenda. The members have agreed to co-operate in areas such as water, 121

energy, communication, transport, environment, transit, tourism, trade, investment etc. They signed a trade agreement called the South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) in 1993. So far 12 submit meetings have been held. India is keenly interested in co-operating with her neighbours to maintain peace and stability in the region. 9. Role in Commonwealth : The former colonies of England had trade and cultural contacts. They formed the commonwealth. India became a member of it. Commonwealth countries cooperate in the fields of education, science, technology and culture. India did not want to cut off her relations with these countries. 10. Anti-Terrorism : Terrorist bodies and terrorism has become a threat to peace now. India is opposed to terrorism. India is always willing to cooperate with neighbours and other world countries in the fight against terrorism at global level. INDIA’S RELATIONS WITH HER NEIGHBOURS AND OTHER COUNTRIES Sino-Indian Relations : Sino-Indian relations got strained from 1957. China picked up border quarrel with India in 1959. She sent her troops to suppress a revolt in Tibet in that year. Tibet’s Dalai Lama fled to India. China prepared for a war. She invaded India in 1962. India suffered reverses in the war. There was no cordial relationship between India and China till 1976. Former Prime Minister and Late Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to China in 1988 brought normalcy in the relations. India and China signed three Agreements in that year for Cooperation in Science and Technology, Air Service and Cultural Exchange. Another Agreement on Peace and Tranquility was signed in 1993. The former Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited India in 1996. China and India signed four Agreements on Confidence Building Measures on that occasion. There is steady improvement of Sino-Indian relations. Relations with Pakistan : The wounds of partition took a long time to heal between India and Pakistan. Kashmir became the hotspot and bone of contention. Its ruler and people joined with India. But the Kashmiri aspirants in Pakistan made futile the peace process. Foreign intriguers add fuel to their fire. There were wars in 1948, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war in 1999. The Tashkant Agreement 1966 and the 122

Simla Agreement 1972 provide for dialogue and settlement of issues through peaceful negotiation. People of these countries have no illwill except the Governments and the intriguers. India and Sri Lanka : India and Sri Lanka are good neighbours. Sri Lanka always supported India on just and reasonable grounds. Except the ethnic Tamils problem which led to sending of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in 1990 (IPKF), India Sri Lanka relations are smooth. Relations with other Countries : Indo-U.S. relations was not impressive till 1973. The U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited India in 1974. Since then co-operation in trade, science and technology exist between these two countries. India maintained good contacts with Russia from 1953. India got help from Russia, France, Germany and England to build her steel plants. There has been increasing co-operation between Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries in Asia and India. India has also maintained good contact with African, Middle East, Canada, Australia and Latin American countries. Learning Outcome 1. Pupil will explain the main features of India’s foreign policy. 2. Pupil will be able to describe the Panch Sheel and nonalignment policy. 3. Pupil will be able to discuss Sino-Indian relations. 4. Pupil will define the Gujral Doctrine. 5. Pupil will outline India’s relation with other countries. Self – Evaluation I. Choose the correct answer 1. India became a member of the U.N.O. in a. 1944

b. 1945

c. 1947

d. 1946

2. Apartheid was practiced in a. South Africa c. China 123

b. Asia d. Africa

3. The first non-aligned conference was held at a. Cairo b. Dacca c. Belgrade d. Jakarta 4. The headquarters of SAARC is a. Dacca b. Kathmandu c. Male d. New Delhi II. Fill in the blanks 1. The Bandung Conference was held in the year ___________ 2. Panch Sheel consists of ___________ Principles. 3. The expansion for SAARC is ________ _________ ________ 4. Sino-Indian war took place in the year ___________ 5. The Kargil war took place in the year ___________ III. Match the following 1. Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit -- 1985 2. SAARC -- 1996 3. SAPTA -- Yugoslavia 4. Tito -- 1996 5. Gujral Doctrine -- First Women President of the U.N. General Assembly. IV. Answer briefly 1. What is meant by imperialism? 2. Who were the chief exponents of the non-alignment movement? 3. Name the member countries of the SAARC. 4. Expand SAPTA 5. When did Rajiv Gandhi Visit China? V. Answer in detail 1. Explain India’s foreign policy. 2. Describe the relations of India with neighbours and other countries. VI. Practical exercise 1. Mark on the outline map India’s neighbour countries. 2. Ask pupil to collect pictures of Nehru, Chou-Enllai, Tito, Nasser and other world leaders who visited India. 124