1. What is South Asia?
A. South Asia usually includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
* The mighty Himalayas in the north and the vast Indian Ocean, the Arabian  Sea and the Bay of Bengal in the south, west and east respectively provide a natural insularity to the region, which is largely responsible for the linguistic  in discussions of the region as a whole. China is an important player but is  not considered to be a part of the region.
* South Asia stands for diversity in every sense and yet constitutes one geo political space.

2. Military Rule & Democracy are the two phases of same coin. Explain.
Ans:- *Rule of General Ayub khan : After Pakistan framed its first constitution, General Ayub khan took over the administration of the country and soon got himself elected. He had to give up office when there was popular  dissatisfaction against his rule.
* Military rule under General Yahya Khan : This gave way to military  takeover once again under General Yahya Khan. During Yahya’s military rule,  Pakistan faced the Bangladesh crisis, and after a war with India in 1971, East Pakistan broke away to emerge as an independent country called Bangladesh.

* Civilian government under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto : After this, an elected  government under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power in  Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.
* Military rule under General Zia-ul-Haq : The Bhutto government was  removed by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1971. General Zia faced a pro-democracy  movement from 1982 onwards.
* Elected government of Benazir Bhutto : An elected democratic government  was established once again in 1988 under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. In the period the followed, Pakistani politics centered on the competition between her party- the Pakistan People’s Party, and the Muslim League.(Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won the next democratic election in Pakistan  in 1990. He was defeated by Benazir Bhutto in the next election in 1993.  1996-Benazir removed and Nawaz Sharif elected PM in 1997.) * Military coup by General Pervez Musharraf : This phase of elective  democracy lasted till 1999 when the army stepped in again and General  Pervez Musharraf removed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In 2001, General  Musharraf got himself elected as the President.
* Return of successive democratic governments : In the 2008 General  election PPP and the PML formed a coalition govt. headed by President Asif Ali Zardari. (Pakistan People’s party (PPP) nominee Yusuf Raza Gilani  becomes PM at head of coalition with Nawaz Sharif’s Muslim League party  following parliamentary elections in February 2008. He was replaced by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister after  his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) wins parliamentary elections in May  2013.)  
     Currently PM Nawaz Sharif is the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The country is still in the process of establishing a democracy and the military continues to  play an important role in Pakistan. 

3. Discuss the factors responsible for Pakistan’s failure in building a stable  democracy.
Ans:- 1. Social Dominance of Military :The social dominance of the military,  clergy, and landowning aristocracy has led to the frequent overthrow of  elected governments and the establishment of military government
2. Conflict with India : Pakistan’s conflict with India has made the  pro-military groups more powerful. These groups have often said that  political parties and democracy in Pakistan are flawed, that Pakistan’s  security would be harmed by selfish-minded parties and chaotic  democracy, and that the army’s stay in power is, therefore, justified.  While democracy has not been fully successful in Pakistan, there has  been a strong pro-democracy sentiment in the country.
3. Lack Of International Support : 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
4. Global Islamic Terrorism : There is a fear of the threat called ‘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. 

4. Give a Brief account of controversies regarding the formation of East  Pakistan(later Bangladesh)?
Ans:- (a) Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971. It consisted of the partitioned 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. They started protested against unfair treatment to the Bengali culture and language. They also demanded fair representation in administration and a fair share in political power.
∙ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the popular struggle against West Pakistani  Domination & demanded autonomy for the eastern region. In the 1970  elections in the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujib won all the seats in East Pakistan and secured a majority But Sheikh Mujib was arrested.
∙ Under the military rule of General Yahya Khan, Thousands were killed by the Pakistan army. This led to a large scale migration into 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 that ended in the surrender of the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh as an independent country.

5. Even after independence democracy took a long time in coming to  Bangladesh. Justify.
Ans:- Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman : Bangladesh drafted its  constitution declaring faith in secularism, democracy and socialism. However,  in 1975 Sheikh Mujib got the constitution amended to shift from  parliamentary to presidential form of government. He also abolished all  parties accept his own, the Awami league. This led to conflicts and tensions.  In a dramatic and tragic development, he was assassinated in a military  uprising in August 1975.
* Successive military rule : The new military ruler Ziaur Rahman, formed his  own Bangladesh national party and won elections in 1979. He was  assassinated, and another military takeover followed under the leadership of  Lieutenant General H.M. Ershad.
* The movement for democracy : The people of Bangladesh soon arose in  support of the demand for democracy. Students were in the forefront.  Ershad was forced to allow political activity on a limited scale. He was later  elected President for 5 years. Mass public protest forced Ershad to step  down in 1990. Elections were held in 1991.
   Since then, representative democracy based on multi party elections has been working in Bangladesh. 

6. Throw light one Nepal’s Transition From Monarchy to Democracy. 
Ans:- Nepal was a Hindu kingdom in the past and then a constitutional  monarchy Political parties & common people of Nepal have wanted a  more open and responsive system of government.
∙ The king accepted the demand for a new democratic constitution in  1990, in the wake of a strong pro-democracy movement.
∙ In 2002, the king abolished the parliament and dismissed the  government due to triangular conflict between the monarchy forces, the democrats & the Maoists (who believes in armed insurrection against the monarch and the ruling elite).
∙ In April 2006, there were massive, country wide, pro-democracy protests. The struggling pro-democracy forces achieved their first major  victory when the king was forced to restore the House of Representatives that had been dissolved in April 2002. The largely non violent movement was led by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the Maoists and social activists. 

7. Write down the relations of India and Pakistan ?
Ans:- ∙ Kashmir issue: Soon after the partition, the two countries got embroiled in a conflict over the fate of Kashmir. The Pakistani government claimed that Kashmir belonged to it. War between India and Pakistan in 1947-48 resulted in the division of the province into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir divided by the Line of Control.
∙ Arms Race between 2 countries : In 1998, India conducted nuclear explosion in Pokaran. Pakistan responded within a few days by carrying out nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills.
∙ Threat of Terrorism :Both the governments continue to be suspicious of each other. The Indian government has blamed the Pakistan government for spreading violence by helping the Kashmiri militants with arms,  training, money and protection to carry out terrorist strikes against  India. The Indian government also believes that Pakistan had aided the  pro- Khalistani militants with arms and ammunition during the period  1985-1995. Its spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is involved  in various anti-India campaigns in India’s northeast, operating secretly  through Bangladesh and Nepal.
∙ Issue over water sharing : India and Pakistan also have had problems over the sharing of river waters. Until 1960, they were locked in a  fierce argument over the use of the rivers of the Indus basin. Eventually, in 1960, with the help of the World Bank, India and  Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty.
∙ Control of Siachin Glacier : India and Pakistan have intermittently  fought in Siachen since 1984. India controls this glacier and is reluctant  to pull back for the fear that Pakistan might seize it.

8. Throw light on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.
Ans:- ∙ After its independence in 1948 Politics in Sri Lanka was dominated by  forces that represented the interest of the majority Sinhala community. They were against large number of Tamils who had migrated from India to Sri Lanka and settled there. This migration continued even after independence.
∙ The Sinhala nationalists thought that Sri Lanka should not give ‘concessions’ to the Tamils because Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhala  people only. The neglect of Tamil concerns led to militant Tamil  nationalism. From 1983 onwards, the militant organisation, the  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been fighting an armed  struggle with the army of Sri Lanka and demanding ‘Tamil Eelam’ or a separate country for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. The LTTE controls the  northeastern parts of Sri Lanka
∙ There is 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  tried to negotiate with the Sri Lankan government on the Tamil  question. But in 1987, the government of India for the first time got  directly involved in the Sri Lankan Tamil question
∙ India signed an accord with Sri Lanka and sent troops to stabilise  relations between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamils.  Eventually, the Indian Army got into a fight with the LTTE. The  presence of Indian troops was also not liked much by the Sri Lankans.  They saw this as an attempt by India to interfere in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. In 1989, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)  pulled out of Sri Lanka without attaining its objective.
 

9. What is SAARC ?
Ans:- The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an  economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries that are primarily  located in South Asia or the Indian subcontinent. The SAARC Secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It began in 1985. SAARC members signed the  South Asian Free Trade (SAFTA) agreement high 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 by 20 percent by 2007.
 

10. Discuss the issues of difference/ conflict between India and Bangladesh?

Ans:- Dispute over river water :- The governments of India and Bangladesh have had differences over several issues including the sharing of the Ganga and  Brahmaputra river waters.
* Allegations by India:- * The Indian government has been unhappy with Bangladesh’s denial of illegal immigration to India. (Eg. Chakma refugees) * India dislikes the Bangladeshi support for anti-Indian troops to move  through its territory to northeastern India.
* Bangladesh’s decision not to export natural gas to India or allow Myanmar  to do so through Bangladeshi territory.
* Allegations by Bangladesh:- Bangladeshi governments have felt that the  Indian government behaves like a regional bully over the sharing of river  waters
* Bangladesh feels that India has encouraged rebellion in the Chittagong Hill  tracts
* India trying to extract its natural gas  
* India’s unfairness in trade.
* The two countries have not succeeded in resolving their boundary dispute. The Prime Minister of India, Narrendra Modi has recently visited Bangladesh  and some agreements have been reached. 

11. Discuss issues of Cooperation between India and Bangladesh.
Ans:- Despite their differences, India and Bangladesh do cooperate on many  issues. India supported the liberation movement in Bangladesh in 1971 and  was the first country to recognize the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. * Economic relations have improved considerably in the last ten years. * Bangladesh is a part of India’s Look East policy that wants to link up with  Southeast Asia via Myanmar. * On disaster management and environmental issues, the two states have cooperated regularly.  * Efforts are on to broaden the areas of cooperation further by identifying  common threats and being more sensitive to each other’s needs. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has recently visited Bangladesh  and some agreements have been reached. 

12. ‘Nepal and India enjoy a very special relationship that has very few  parallels in the world.’ Justify.  (OR) Discuss the issues of cooperation between India Nepal.
 A. AREAS OF COOPERATION
∙ A treaty between the two countries allows the citizens of the two  countries to travel to and work in the other country without visas and passports.
∙ Despite differences, trade, scientific cooperation, common natural  resources, electricity generation and interlocking water management grids hold the two countries together.
∙ India has provided and assistance to Nepal during the Nepal earthquakes in 2015.
     Indo-Nepal relations are fairly stable and peaceful. There is a hope that  the consolidation of democracy in Nepal will lead to improvements in the  ties between the two countries. 

13. Discuss contentious issues between India and Nepal.
Ans:- ISSUES OF CONFLICT
* The governments of the two countries have had trade related disputes in the past. The Indian government has often expressed displeasure at the warm relationship between Nepal and China and at the Nepal government’s inaction against anti-Indian elements.
* Indian security agencies see the Maoist movement in Nepal as a growing  security threat, given the rise of Naxalite groups in various Indian states  from Bihar in the north to Andra Pradesh in the south.
* Many leaders and citizens in Nepal think that the Indian government  interferes in its internal affairs, has designs on its river waters and hydro electricity, and prevents Nepal, a landlocked country, from getting easier  access to the sea through Indian Territory. 

14. Discuss relations between India and Sri Lanka.
A. The difficulties in the relationship between the governments of India  and Sri Lanka are mostly over ethnic conflict in the island nation. * Indian leaders and citizens find it impossible to remain neutral when  Tamils are politically unhappy and are being killed. * After the military intervention in 1997, the Indian government now  prefers a policy of disengagement vis-à-vis Sri Lanka’s internal troubles. * India signed a free trade agreement with Sri Lanka, which strengthened  relations between two countries. * India’s help in post-tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka has also brought  the two countries closer. 

15. Discuss the relations between India and Bhutan.
Ans:- India enjoys a very special relationship with Bhutan and does not have  any major conflict with Bhutanese government.
* The efforts made by the Bhutanese monarch to weed out the 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.
* The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi strengthened relations  between the two countries by visiting Bhutan.
 

16. Discuss India- Maldives relations.
A. India’s ties with the Maldives remain warm and cordial. ∙ In November 1988, when some Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka  attacked the Maldives, the Indian air force and navy reacted quickly to  the Maldives’ request to help stop the invasion.
∙ India has also contributed towards the island’s economic development,  tourism and fisheries.

Dr. Ratanlal Brahma, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Post Graduate Teacher (Political Science)
H.N.Seminary Model HS School, Bagribari, Dhubri, Assam
Email : brahmaratan@gmail.com
Whatsapp : 7020477396
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