4. Explain the following concepts.

(1) Shimla Agreement 

Ans: 

(i) India tried to solve the Indo-Pak conflict bilaterally. The Shimla Agreement of 1972 was based on these principles.

(ii) Pakistan considers Kashmir as the biggest hurdle in establishing relations with India.

(iii) The first Indo-Pak war took place in 1965 over Kashmir. The Tashkent Agreement was signed in 1966, but nothing much came out of it.

(iv) Even though the 1971 war was about the creation of Bangladesh, it also had the dimension of the Kashmir problem.

(v) The Shimla Agreement in 1972 provided a new format for the interaction between India and Pakistan.

(2) Indo-Nepalese friendship treaty 

Ans: 

(i) The foundation of friendship between India and Nepal was laid with the Indo-Nepalese Friendship Treaty in 1950. 

(ii) According to this treaty, Nepalese citizens can not only enter India, but they are also permitted to take up government jobs and carry on trade in India. 

(3) Macmahon Line

Ans: 

(i) The border dispute between India and China is related to the Aksai Chin area and the Macmahon line. 

(ii) China claims that the area south of the Aksai Chin and Macmahon lines in Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory. 

(iii) China is not willing to agree that the Macmahon Line is an international border. 

(iv) India made several efforts to sort out this border dispute through dialogue. But it has not met with much success. 

(v) In 1962, China attacked India.

(4) Indo-Afghanistan Relations

Ans: 

(i) There is a lot of political instability in Afghanistan. 

(ii) The dominance of the terrorist organisation Taliban is responsible for this. 

(iii) India has extended its help to bring peace, security, and stability, curb violence, and establish a democratic government. 

(iv) Similarly, India is also helping Afghanistan in reestablishing communication facilities that have been destroyed due to the war, building roads, cooperating in the fields of science and technology, and building schools, health facilities, and irrigation projects.

5. Answer in brief.

(1) Explain the background of cooperative relations between India and America. 

Ans: 

(i) India and America are two powerful nations with democratic political systems. 

(ii) Right from the beginning, America was India’s most important trading partner. 

(iii) Many Indians went to America for education or work, which led to an increase in the cultural, social, and economic relations between India and America.

(iv) After the end of the cold war, the military relations between India and America have increased on a large scale. 

(v) India’s acceptance of a free market economy resulted in further strengthening the trade relations between India and America.

(vi) Tensions arose when India conducted nuclear tests in 1998. Many rounds of discussions took place after that to improve relations. 

(vii) America came to believe that India would use its nuclear weapons responsibly. This completely transformed Indo-American relations. 

(viii) The Civil Nuclear Agreement signed in 2005 that was approved by the U.S. Congress in 2008 was an important landmark in Indo-American relations. 

(2) Give some information about the efforts taken by India for the establishment of democracy in neighbouring countries with examples. 

Ans: India upheld sovereignty and democratic values in Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

(i) Nepal: Nepal was a Hindu Kingdom that adopted democratic government in 2006. India backed up its decision to adopt popular rule by helping Nepal with constitutional guidelines.

(ii) Afghanistan: India also extended friendly relations to Ashraf Ghani through SAARC and other international platforms after the collapse of the Taliban there.

(iii) Sri Lanka: India sent a peacekeeping force to Sri Lanka to bring about a cease-fire between Sinhalese and Tamils and enforce peace and democracy.

(iv) Pakistan: The regime of Pervez Musharraf had adopted aggressive foreign policies and oppressed public opinion in Pakistan, which led to violence and chaos. India had also criticised military rule in Pakistan.

(3) What is the role of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ?

Ans: 

SAARC is a regional organisation established by the South Asian countries in 1985.

(i) The aim of this organisation is to encourage economic cooperation between South Asian nations and thereby achieve the development of the South Asian region.

(ii) The organisation of SAARC is a platform for South Asian countries to come together and discuss common questions and interests.

(iii) Some common interests of South Asian countries are the alleviation of poverty, the development of agriculture, and the technological revolution.

(iv) Some treaties were signed on the SAARC platform to make it easy for South Asian countries to trade with each other.

(v) As a part of this, it has been decided that South Asia should be made into a free trade area. For the equitable development of South Asian nations, a treaty about forming a South Asian Free Trade Area was signed, and a South Asian University was established.