Contemporary South Asia (India and Its Neighbours) — Practice

Question 1

What is SAARC? Why has it failed to promote effective regional cooperation in South Asia?

Accepted Answer

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation): Founded December 8, 1985 in Dhaka. Eight member countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan (joined 2007). PURPOSE: Promote economic cooperation, reduce poverty, build cultural ties among South Asian nations — modelled partly on ASEAN. WHY IT HAS FAILED: (1) INDIA-PAKISTAN TENSIONS: SAARC operates by CONSENSUS — any member can block any initiative. India-Pakistan tensions have paralysed SAARC. Since 2016, India boycotted the SAARC Summit (scheduled for Islamabad), citing Pakistan's support for terrorism. No summit has been held since 2014. (2) TRADE BLOCKAGE: India and Pakistan don't allow transit through each other's territory. So Bangladesh cannot send goods to Pakistan by road through India, and vice versa. South Asia's intra-regional trade is only ~5% of total trade — the lowest of any major regional grouping. (3) ASYMMETRY: India's enormous size relative to other members creates anxiety. Smaller members fear Indian economic dominance. 'India is SAARC' — in terms of GDP, India accounts for ~80% of the region's economy. ALTERNATIVE: India has increasingly promoted BIMSTEC (which excludes Pakistan) as a substitute for SAARC.

Question 2

Why have India-Pakistan peace attempts repeatedly failed? Discuss with reference to key agreements.

Accepted Answer

INDIA-PAKISTAN PEACE ATTEMPTS — PATTERN OF FAILURE: India and Pakistan have made several genuine peace attempts — but each has been derailed. KEY ATTEMPTS AND WHY THEY FAILED: (1) TASHKENT AGREEMENT (January 1966, after 1965 war): Mediated by Soviet PM Kosygin. Both sides agreed to withdraw troops to pre-war positions and restore diplomatic relations. PM Lal Bahadur Shastri signed it and died that same night. Implementation was partial — the underlying Kashmir dispute was not addressed. (2) SHIMLA AGREEMENT (July 1972, after 1971 war): Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto agreed to resolve all disputes bilaterally (bypassing the UN). The Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir was formalised. BUT: Pakistan ratified the agreement domestically while the military viewed it as a humiliation imposed on a defeated state. Peace was never durable. (3) LAHORE DECLARATION (February 1999): PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Lahore by bus — a symbolic peace gesture. Nawaz Sharif and Vajpayee signed the Declaration committing to bilateral dialogue. WEEKS LATER: The Kargil infiltration was discovered — Pakistani soldiers had secretly crossed the LOC months earlier, while Nawaz Sharif was meeting Vajpayee. (4) AGRA SUMMIT (July 2001): Vajpayee met General Musharraf. No agreement reached — India insisted on cross-border terrorism; Pakistan insisted on Kashmir. (5) COMPOSITE DIALOGUE (2004–2008): Regular meetings on all issues (Kashmir, water, trade, terrorism). Collapsed after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks (November 2008) — Pakistan-linked LeT terrorists attacked Mumbai, killing 166. FUNDAMENTAL OBSTACLE: Pakistan's ARMY (not the civilian government) controls Pakistan's India policy. The army sees conflict with India as essential to its own institutional power and budget. No civilian government in Pakistan can make durable peace with India without the army's agreement — and the army does not want peace.

Question 3

Despite sharing history, geography, and culture, South Asia remains one of the least integrated regions in the world. Explain the obstacles to South Asian integration.

Accepted Answer

PARADOX OF SOUTH ASIAN NON-INTEGRATION: South Asia is a region that, on paper, should be highly integrated — shared colonial history, intertwined cultures and languages (Hindi-Urdu mutual intelligibility, Bengali on both sides of Bangladesh-West Bengal border), geographic contiguity, similar economic challenges. Yet South Asia has the LOWEST intra-regional trade share of any major regional grouping (~5% of total trade, vs. ~60% in the EU and ~25% in ASEAN). OBSTACLES: (1) INDIA-PAKISTAN CONFLICT: The central obstacle to South Asian integration. India and Pakistan have fought four wars (1947, 1965, 1971, 1999), do not have normal trade relations, do not allow transit through each other's territory, and cannot agree on SAARC agendas. Since 2016, SAARC summits have been suspended. Pakistan will not allow Indian goods to transit to Afghanistan; India will not allow Pakistani goods to transit to Nepal/Bangladesh by land across India. The two largest regional economies are locked in geopolitical conflict. (2) INDIA'S SIZE AND ASYMMETRY: India accounts for ~80% of South Asia's GDP and ~70% of its population. Smaller neighbours — Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka — fear Indian economic hegemony. India's 'big brother' image creates political resistance to integration even where economic logic favours it. (3) DOMESTIC POLITICS IN EACH COUNTRY: Political parties in each country often use 'India threat' as an electoral tool (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal). Leaders who pursue close ties with India risk accusations of serving Indian interests. (4) CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM: Pakistan-based terrorist groups that attack India make normal bilateral relations impossible. India has consistently demanded action against these groups as a precondition for dialogue. Pakistan denies state responsibility. (5) WATER AND RIVER SHARING: The Himalayan rivers feed most of South Asia. India-Pakistan: Indus Waters Treaty (1960, still in place but strained). India-Bangladesh: Farakka Barrage dispute, Teesta treaty (still not signed). India-Nepal: Kosi and Gandak treaties (old, India accused of not implementing). (6) COMPETING GREAT POWER INFLUENCES: China's growing role — CPEC through Pakistan, infrastructure investment in Nepal and Sri Lanka (Hambantota Port), and BRI — puts China in competition with India in South Asia. China's presence gives smaller states an alternative to India and complicates integration efforts. COMPARISON WITH OTHER REGIONS: The EU succeeded because: (a) France and Germany — former adversaries — chose economic integration over rivalry; (b) a US security umbrella removed the need for European nations to arm against each other; (c) there was a shared democratic identity. South Asia has none of these — the key dyad (India-Pakistan) is hostile, there is no security umbrella, and South Asian nations have diverse political systems. CONCLUSION: South Asian integration is hostage to one bilateral relationship — India-Pakistan. Until that relationship changes fundamentally, SAARC will remain ineffective and South Asia will remain the least economically integrated region in the world.

Practice — Contemporary South Asia (India and Its Neighbours)

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