Chapter 3 Contemporary South Asia – NCERT Solutions

1. Identify the country:

a. The struggle among pro-monarchy, pro-democracy groups and extremists created an atmosphere of political instability: Nepal
b. A landlocked country with multi-party competition: Nepal (or Bhutan)
c. The first country to liberalise its economy in the South Asian region: Sri Lanka
d. In the conflict between the military and pro-democracy groups, the military has prevailed over democracy: Pakistan
e. Centrally located and shares borders with most of the South Asian countries: India
f. Earlier the island had the Sultan as the head of state. Now, it’s a republic: Maldives
g. Small savings and credit cooperatives in the rural areas have helped in reducing poverty: Bangladesh (Grameen Bank model)
h. A landlocked country with a monarchy: Bhutan

2. Which among the following statements about South Asia is wrong?

Answer: (a) All the countries in South Asia are democratic.
Reason: This statement is incorrect because several countries in South Asia have faced instability, military coups (Pakistan), or were monarchies (Nepal, Bhutan) for long periods.

3. What are some of the commonalities and differences between Bangladesh and Pakistan in their democratic experiences?

Commonalities:

Military Rule: Both have experienced long periods of military rule interspersed with democratic attempts.
Struggle: In both nations, pro-democracy movements led by students and activists were crucial in restoring civilian rule.

Differences:

Origin: Pakistan was founded on the basis of religious identity, while Bangladesh emerged from a struggle for linguistic and cultural identity.
Post-1990: Since 1991, democracy in Bangladesh has been relatively more stable with regular elections, whereas Pakistan has seen military takeovers (e.g., Musharraf in 1999) even in recent decades.

4. List three challenges to democracy in Nepal.

Maoist Integration: Integrating the former Maoist guerrillas into the democratic mainstream and the army was a significant challenge.
Constitutional Consensus: Drafting a permanent constitution that satisfied all diverse groups (ethnic tribes, Madhesis) proved difficult and caused instability.
Monarchy’s Legacy: While the monarchy was abolished, pro-monarchist elements continued to pose a challenge to the new republic in its early years.

5. Name the principal players in the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. How do you assess the prospects of the resolution of this conflict?

Principal Players:

Sinhala Community: The majority group, holding political power, who demanded a unitary state and favored Sinhala language/culture.
Sri Lankan Tamils: The minority group concentrated in the north-east, represented militantly by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), who demanded a separate nation (Tamil Eelam).

Prospects: The armed conflict ended with the defeat of the LTTE in 2009. However, true resolution depends on power-sharing. While the violence has ceased, political reconciliation and granting autonomy to Tamil regions remain slow, making the peace fragile.

6. Mention some of the recent agreements between India and Pakistan. Can we be sure that the two countries are well on their way to a friendly relationship?

Agreements:

Bus services between Delhi-Lahore and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad.
Trade across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.
Agreement on pre-notification of ballistic missile tests.

Assessment: No, we cannot be sure. Despite agreements, core issues like Kashmir and cross-border terrorism (e.g., 2008 Mumbai attacks, Pulwama) frequently derail the peace process, keeping the relationship volatile.

7. Mention two areas each of cooperation and disagreement between India and Bangladesh.

Cooperation:

Economic Ties: India’s “Look East” policy involves Bangladesh as a key partner for connectivity to Southeast Asia.
Disaster Management: Cooperation on disaster relief and environmental issues.

Disagreement:

River Waters: Disputes over the sharing of Ganga and Teesta river waters.
Illegal Migration: India’s concern over illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

8. How are the external powers influencing bilateral relations in South Asia? Take any one example to illustrate your point.

External powers like the USA and China play a major role in South Asian politics due to strategic interests.

Example: The United States

Mediator: The US often acts as a moderator between India and Pakistan to prevent escalation, especially given both are nuclear powers.
Strategic Partner: Post-Cold War, the US has moved closer to India (Civil Nuclear Deal) to balance Asian geopolitics, while maintaining a relationship with Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan.
Influence: This dual engagement allows the US to influence economic policies and security decisions in the region, preventing any single local power from dominating entirely.

9. Write a short note on the role and the limitations of SAARC as a forum for facilitating economic cooperation among the South Asian countries.

Role of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation):

Established in 1985 to promote collaboration in agriculture, rural development, and culture.
Launched SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) to lower trade tariffs and create a free trade zone across South Asia.

Limitations:

Political Differences: The persistent conflict between India and Pakistan overshadows economic goals, often stalling summits.
Fear of Dominance: Smaller neighbors fear that free trade will lead to Indian goods flooding their markets, influencing their societies and politics.
Low Trade Volume: Intra-regional trade remains very low compared to other blocs like ASEAN or EU due to poor connectivity and trust deficits.

10. India’s neighbours often think that the Indian government tries to dominate and interfere in the domestic affairs of the smaller countries. Is this a correct impression?

Perspective: It is a mixed reality. Being the largest country in the region (geographically and economically), India naturally holds a central position.

Neighbours’ View: Countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka have historically resented India’s involvement (e.g., IPKF in Sri Lanka, 2015 Blockade in Nepal) as “Big Brother” hegemony. They fear their sovereignty is compromised.
India’s View: India views its actions as necessary for regional stability and security. Since India shares borders with all these nations (while they don’t share borders with each other), instability in a neighbor (like refugee influx from Bangladesh) directly impacts India’s domestic security.

Conclusion: While India does not intend to rule over neighbors, its sheer size and security concerns inevitably lead to involvement that smaller nations interpret as interference.