CHAPTER - 7

Conclusion
Chapter- 7 Conclusion

Chapter- 7
Conclusion

India’s cultural continuity and its civilizational heritage has long been
acknowledged and appreciated around the world. At various points of history, such as
Indus-Sarasvati valley civilization, kingdom of Mauryas, Kushanas, Guptas, Cholas
and Mughals, India has occupied a pre-eminent position in the global economy and
attracted peoples around the world (South East Asia, West Asia, Romans, Chinese,
Persia, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa). This includes merchants, pilgrims, scholars,
adventurer who came in search of material wealth and superior wisdom. As of today,
India’s strength and its influence in the world derives from the cumulative variables
such as its geographical size, geo-strategic advantages, demographic strength, political
stability, dynamic cultural asset, rapid economic growth, proven military capacity
(nuclear and conventional), technological advancements (space and missile),
entrepreneurial energy, growing middle class (larger than the US population) and
skilled manpower etc. This provides a space for India to become a trans national power
and a global power. India is now symbolically represents a model of a state (not
projecting publicly) which peacefully manage a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and
multi-language society through democratic consensus.

This study concludes that India’s enormous potential of its past and present act
as a great source of attraction to enhance its relations with its neighbours. The enormous
potential of its past includes millennia old civilisation, cultural continuity, cultural
superiority, art, language, philosophy, mathematics and astronomical science etc.
India’s present is enriched by its dynamic culture and values and ideals, yoga, film and
television programmes, economy growth, technological advancement (especially space
and nuclear domain), demographic dividend, energetic civil society, Indian diaspora
etc., Since 1990, India is facing a challenging task when it comes to its immediate
neighbourhood. After 2005, there is a perceptible change in the style and substance of
India’s foreign policy making, which accommodates neighbours interest and wishes
without expecting anything from its neighbour. This is known as non-reciprocal
altruism, that is, the soft use of policies or attractive measures undertaken by India. The
soft power measures like increasing cultural diplomacy, widening developmental

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assistance, people to people contact, better trade and transit arrangements, scholarship
and training programmes, diplomatic and humanitarian assistance and confidence
building measures have helped India to enhance bilateral cooperation and reduce
misunderstanding and misapprehension with its neighbours (except Pakistan) in South
Asia.

The measures largely reduced tension and opened various avenues for better
bilateral cooperation. This study has found that the gulf between India and its
neighbours has been reducing gradually. However, to reduce deficit in the bilateral
relationship, India has to walk a long path along with neighbours’ widening interest. In
recent years, there is a growing interest from India to enlarge the vision of better
neighbourhood relations which is evident in the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy initiatives
by PM Modi government. He emphasised and gave more importance to the idea of
‘neighbourhood first diplomacy’ which has been evolved into a new paradigm shift –
more of a kinder and gentler approach towards neighbour. He has a clear cut roadmap
to channelize his vision into reality that is prosperous South Asia. This policy has
restored a much renewed momentum to align with neighbours’ interest and assures that
India serves a catalyst in the progress of neighbours. This new phase of India’s bilateral
relation has marked with mature, pragmatic and practical approach which lies in the
pillars of sovereignty, unity, trust, friendship, mutual benefit and proper understanding.
The peace, prosperity, and stability of South Asia may rest upon the walls of the
understanding between India and its neighbours.

Over the years, India’s policy towards South Asia is habitually reactive in the
sense that it is highly sensitive when it comes to India’s security concerns. The
unwillingness to take timely decisions, delivery deficit, empty symbolism, self-doubt,
domestic political constrains and many a times quite indifferent approach critically
limited India’s capacity to transform a smoother relationship with its neighbours. But
in recent years, India recognised the importance of its neighbours and is trying much
harder to adjust and accommodate neighbourly differences. Moreover, the Modi
government is genuinely interested and strongly advocates various initiatives to
strengthen ‘neighbourhood first’ diplomacy. At the same time, he has clear cut vision
and roadmap to speed up his policy initiatives. In his speech at 18th SAARC summit in
Nepal, he mentioned that, “in the life of an individual or a nation, a good neighbourhood

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is a universal aspiration”. Further, he viewed that boundaries become less relevant in

the age of social media. There is a new awakening that is the recognition of inter-linked
destinies and shared opportunities in South Asia. India has dreamed of a cooperative
journey to transform the lives of the people in the region. Both India and its neighbours
have to walk together step in step, to realize this dream (destination) faster and easier.
To achieve this, India has to take a leading step (soft power or non-reciprocal altruism)
to reduce contradictions, paradoxes and disparities which prevails in South Asia.

7.1 Findings

Since 2000, India has undertaken several asymmetric steps especially in areas
which include greater market access (duty free access to 99.7% of neighbouring goods),
developmental and capacity building assistance without any strings attached (grants,
gifts, low interest line of credit, loans, currency swap facility etc.) to its neighbours
which improves bilateral and regional cooperation in a mutually beneficial manner
(more tilt in favour of South Asian neighbours).

India’s economic prowess, gives more opportunity to its neighbour to grow side
by side which yields much economic dividends with an attractive win-win economic
arrangements. Indian diplomacy always convinces its neighbours that India’s economic
growth is an opportunity, not a threat. India is trying to integrate its neighbours through
economic-developmental cooperation.

Recently, India is offering wider cooperation to its neighbours especially in the

field of space programmes, peaceful use of nuclear energy, increase of research and
development initiative, and blue economy or ocean economy etc.

Since liberalization, India offered various scholarship and training programmes

for South Asian neighbours. After 2005, scholarship and training slots have increased
and different schemes are introduced to benefit more students and officials from
neighbouring countries which largely helped in building capacity in education and civil-
military administrative efficiency.

The study has analysed (India’s foreign policy annual report from 1999-2016)
various aspect of bilateral relations between India and its South Asian neighbours, and
found that after 2005, there has been frequent high level visits which includes the heads
of the state, cabinet ministers, and high level official. This shows that India and its

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neighbours are committed to improve bilateral relations and reduce apprehensions

through regular visits and dialogues.

For better bilateral relations, India and its neighbours are engaging in more
bilateral mechanisms to solve complex, critical issues which affects bilateral
cooperation, and also facilitates smoother cooperation in various fields such as river
sharing, border security, trade and transit, illegal migration, illegal trade, bilateral
interest etc. Some of them are Joint River Commission, Joint Working Group on Trade
and Transit, Joint Group on HEPs, Joint Group on Border Management and so on.
These mechanisms largely facilitate regular engagements in the areas of mutual
bilateral interest and reduces trust deficit without any further delay.

The study has found that, after 2010, India is regularly engaging in military
related cooperation to strengthen strategic and security domain with its neighbours.
There is regular high level contact between India and its neighbours established at the
level of Army, Navy, and Air Forces. There is growing military assistance and annual
training programme in the form of capacity building and supply of less lethal military
equipments.

The public and private enterprises from India are actively investing and
engaging in various developmental projects (as Joint-Venture) in South Asia such as
HEP and thermal power generation, hospitality industry and establishing of large-
medium-small scale manufacturing unit.

Since 2005, India has started its Small Development Projects (SDPs) in
Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives and later extended it to Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka to strengthen the local community in South Asia. It is widely appreciated by
neighbouring countries as a it touches grass root people and their wants and needs. It
has made differences in their lives and reduces day to day hardship.

India is actively engaging in various infrastructure projects in South Asia to

improve better connectivity and trade. Recently, India has set up a Special Purpose
Facility to finance infrastructure related projects along the borders connecting India and
its neighbours.

The study has found that if India asserts its strength through its hard power
measures, misunderstanding and misapprehension about it by its neighbours would be

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increased. Further, it would pave the way for the increased influence of China and
Western countries influence in the region. India’s soft power initiative gradually
reduces its strained relationship with its neighbours and neutralise other powers
influence in South Asia.

7.2 Suggestions

To fulfil the vision of India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ or ‘prosper thy neighbour’

diplomacy, the study suggests that India has to ensure more interaction at all levels
bilaterally (non-official level) with its South Asian neighbours. It could be possible
through an annual specialised programme with focused areas of interest such as the
meeting of civil society, youth, political leaders, relatives (adjoining bordering areas),
religious and community leaders, media personnel, parliamentarians, and non-
governmental organisations in line with cultural programmes organised and funded by
government of India. It may create a more responsible South Asian society with a
changed mindset, though it would be a long drawn process.

India has to take more proactive steps to improve academic interaction in South
Asia. To achieve this, generously India has to give more fund to establish a South Asian
University in all South Asian neighbouring countries. As of now, only one South Asian
University (which was proposed by Indian PM at Dhaka SAARC summit) established
in New Delhi, which is a commendable towards this direction. Such measures would
dilute the condition of mistrust among South Asian countries.

India has to focus on a bilateral strategy for each South Asian country and be
sensitive to their concerns. This may be realised through a constant and regular (day to
day) attention and also by the way of very active sectoral wise institutionalised bilateral
mechanism for a better understanding on many critical issues. This may augment the
promotion of bilateral relations.

India has to consider annual bilateral meetings at summit level with all its South
Asian neighbours in a similar way summit level meetings are conducted with Russia,
Japan, etc. This may not only generate goodwill but friendliness and also speed up
various initiatives already committed bilaterally and create an atmosphere to clear and
avoid any misunderstandings on a regular basis.

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As of now, only the King of Bhutan (twice 2005, 2013) was given the honour
as the chief guest of India’s republic day celebrations, and other South Asian countries
are not given this honour. This study suggest that India must give special privileges to
its neighbours for its special event such as Republic day celebration. This will certainly
create an intimate relation with its neighbours at the highest level and well reduce fear
and anomalies in the bilateral relationship.

India has to encourage its neighbours towards a novel idea of ‘cooperative

security’ as against ‘collective security’ for South Asia. It may strengthen the safety
and security domain in South Asia and also ensure its net role as a security provider
through various cooperative measures in South Asia.

The study suggests that subcontinental bilateral relations cannot be

unidirectional. It has to be bi-directional in nature and content, with more tilt in favour
of neighbouring countries. India soft power measures alone cannot solve all the
problems pertaining to its neighbours – both sides have to come forward to bridge the
gap.

About the future of subcontinental relations, the study envisages a broader

accommodative approach covering in all areas such as culture, politics, socio-economic
development and security with highly balanced relationship between India and its
neighbours which may lessen the asymmetric tone in the relationship. However, India
has to take more attractive initiatives (unilaterally) to harmonise the relationship, with
perceptible tilt in support of its neighbours’ growth. The future of India is much aligned
with South Asia and vice versa to achieve its neighbourhood strategy soft power
initiatives are an important option for India and it has become a new paradigm of India’s
neighbourhood policy.

India has shifted its focus from competition (hard power measures) to
contribution (soft power initiatives) where the relationship between India and its
neighbours becomes a celebration. Otherwise, the relationship could become a forced
deliberation. As Buddha says, never try to defeat people, just win their hearts. This
ancient dictum that is soft power, a recent phenomenon (tool) of India’s foreign policy
which guides and conducts India’s South Asian policy also helps to understand the
oneness of South Asian civilisation.

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