BOOK:2

POLITICS IN INDIA AFTER

INDEPENDENCE

LESSON:4
INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY
(Earlier named as India’s External relations)
THREE TOPICS TO FOCUS UPON-

• Principles of Foreign Policy

• India’s Changing Relations with Other

Nations: US, Russia, China, Israel

• India's nuclear programme

DELETED PORTION FOR 2020
FROM THIS UNIT-
These topics are deleted from this unit: India’s
Relations with its Neighbour’s: Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Myanmar.
Lets begin ☺
 BASIC Principles of ANY foreign policy

• Foreign Policy Principles :-

• Sovereign equality of States in accordance with
international law
• A rule-based and inclusive international system
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries
• The supremacy of diplomacy in managing and resolving
global problems
• Friendship with all countries based on mutual respect
 Objectives of foreign policy

• National interest has been the governing principle of India’ foreign policy
even at the time of Nehru who was inspired by the ideal of world peace,
toleration and mutual respect among nations. In operational terms, the
idea of national interest takes the form of concrete objectives of foreign
policy.
• According to Appadorai and M. S. Rajan, there are three fundamental
objectives of India’s Foreign policy:
• 1. The preservation of India’s territorial integrity and independence
of foreign policy:
• 2. Promoting international peace and security:
• 3. Economic development of India:
 INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES
AND PRINCIPLES

• While keeping in view the fundamental objectives of India’s foreign policy listed
above, India has adopted and pursued certain principles to realize these objectives.
Some of these principles are given in Article 51 under the Directive
Principles of Policy in the Constitution Of India.
• These principles are: promotion of international peace and security; friendly relations
with other countries; respect for international law and international organizations like
the UN; and finally the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The principles of
India’s foreign policy and its objectives are closely interlinked with each other.
ARTICLE 51 INDIAN CONSTITUTION
MOST IMPORTANT- SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES
OF INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY ARE-

1. Panchsheel policy
2. Policy of Non-alignment
3. Policy of Resisting Colonialism, Imperialism,
Racism
4. Peaceful Settlements of international disputes.
5. Support to UN, International Law and a Just
and Equal World order.
 PANCHSHEEL POLICY
• as non aligned, was based on Five Principles ALSO CALLED AS- (PANCHSHEEL
POLICY)
• The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known as the Panchsheel Treaty:
Non-interference in others internal affairs and respect for each other's territorial
unity integrity and sovereignty (from Sanskrit, panch: five, sheel: virtues), are a set
of principles to govern relations between states. Their first formal codification in
treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954. They were
enunciated in the preamble to the "Agreement (with exchange of notes) on trade and
intercourse between Tibet Region of China and India", which was signed at Peking on
28 April 1954..
• mutual respect for other nations' territorial integrity and sovereignty;
• mutual nonaggression;
• mutual noninterference in internal affairs;
• equality and mutual benefit;
• peaceful coexistence.
 AFRO-ASIAN UNITY
⮚India convened the Asian Relations Conference in March
1947, India made earnest efforts for the early realization
of freedom of Indonesia from the Dutch colonial regime
by convening an international conference in 1949 to
support its freedom struggle.
⮚India was a staunch supporter of the de-colonization
process and firmly opposed racism, especially apartheid
in South Africa.
⮚The Afro-Asian conference held in the Indonesian city of
Bandung in 1955, commonly known as the Bandung
Conference, marked the zenith of India’s engagement
with the newly independent Asian and African nations.
⮚The Bandung Conference later led to the establishment
of the NAM. The First Summit of the NAM was held in
Belgrade in September 1961.
 DISTANCE FROM TWO CAMPS
✔ India wanted to keep away from the military alliances led by
US and Soviet Union against each other.
✔ the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and
the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact came into existence. India
advocated non-alignment as the ideal foreign policy approach.
✔ India did take an independent stand on various international
issues and could get aid and assistance from members of both
the blocs.
✔ The US was not happy about India’s independent initiatives
and the policy of non-alignment. Therefore, there was a
considerable unease in Indo-US relations during the 1950s.
✔ the strategy of planned economic development adopted by
India This development strategy limited India’s economic
interaction with the outside world.
 PEACE AND CONFLICT WITH CHINA

o Free India began its relationship with China on a

very friendly note. After the Chinese revolution in
1949, India was one of the first countries to
recognize the communist government.
o Some of Nehru’s colleagues, like Vallabhbhai
Patel, were worried about a possible Chinese
aggression in future. But Nehru always felt that
this is unlikely to happen
o The joint enunciation of Panchsheel, the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, by the Indian
Prime Minister Nehru and the Chinese Premier
Zhou Enlai on 29 April 1954 was a step in the
direction of stronger relationship between the two
countries.
 TIBET ISSUE
• Tibet is a region on the Tibetan Plateau in Asia, spanning
about 2.4 million km – nearly a quarter of China’s territory.
It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well
as some other ethnic groups.

Tibet has been occupied and ruled by China since 1951 in “a

calculated and systematic strategy aimed at the destruction
of their national and cultural identities.” This has often been
described by the Tibetan people and third party
commentators as “a cultural genocide”.
 TIBET ISSUE- continued
• The unsuccessful Tibetan Uprising of 1959, in which Tibetans rebelled
in an attempt to overthrow the Chinese government, led to the fleeing of
the 14th Dalai Lama to India. He has lived in exile ever since.
Tibet was invaded by 35,000 Chinese troops who systematically raped,
tortured and murdered an estimated as many as 1.2 million Tibetans –
one-fifth of the country’s population. Since then, over 6000 monasteries
have been destroyed and thousands of Tibetans have been imprisoned.
• Tibet has always been a thorn in the side of Sino-Indian relations.
India’s harbouring of the Dalai Lama and more than 150,000 Tibetan
refugees has always evoked an angry response from China.
• The Tibetan diaspora maintains a government in exile in Himachal
Pradesh, which coordinates political activities for Tibetans in India. The
Tibetan government-in-exile functions from McLeod Ganj, a suburb of
Dharamshala.
Sensing the situation had become
worse, in 1959, the Dalai Lama
crossed over into the Indian border
and sought asylum which was
granted by the Indian Government.
Chinese Government strongly
protested against him
 THE CHINESE INVASION, 1962

⮚China annexed Tibet in 1950 and thus removed a historical buffer between the
two countries.
⮚The Government of India did not oppose annexed of Tibet openly since we
had signed Panchsheel Agreement .
⮚A boundary dispute had surfaced between India and China. India claimed that
the boundary was a matter settled in colonial time, but China said that any
colonial decision did not apply.
⮚. China claimed two areas within the Indian territory: Aksai-chin area in the
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and much of the state of Arunachal
Pradesh in what was then called NEFA (North Eastern Frontier Agency).
 CONTINUED
• The Aksai Chin plateau was and still is virtually unpopulated;
this had made it possible for the Chinese to build their
highway there in the mid-1950s without the Indians finding
out about it until a year after it had been completed. The name
Aksai Chin means “the desert of white stones”
• In the past, some Ladakhi villagers used the area for summer
grazing and made it part of the Cashmere wool trade, but
otherwise there has been no commercial activity.
• China launched a swift and massive invasion in October 1962.
• The first attack lasted one week and Chinese forces captured some
key areas in Arunachal Pradesh(NEFA) The second wave of
attack came next month.
• The war ended when China declared a ceasefire on 21 November 1
• The Soviet Union remained neutral during the conflict. When the
actual Sino-Indo war started Soviets could not support India
because they needed Chinese on their side during Cuban Missile
Crisis.
• It induced a sense of national humiliation and at the same time
strengthened a spirit of nationalism.
• Some of the top army commanders either resigned or were retired.
Nehru’s close associate and the then Defense Minister, V. Krishna
Menon, had to leave the cabinet.
• A No-confidence motion against his government was moved and
debated in the Lok Sabha.
CHINESE ATTACK ON INDIA
• The Sino-Indian conflict affected the opposition as well.
• This and the growing rift between China and the Soviet Union created
irreconcilable differences within the Communist party of India (CPI).
• The pro-USSR faction remained within the CPI and moved towards closer
ties with the Congress.
• The other faction was for sometime closer to China and was against any
ties with the Congress.
• The party split in 1964 and the leaders of the latter faction formed the
Communist party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). In the wake of the China
war, many leaders of what became CPI (M) were arrested for being pro-
China.
• The war with China alerted Indian leadership
to the volatile situation in the Northeast
region.
• The process of its reorganization began soon
after the China war. Nagaland was granted
statehood; Manipur and Tripura, though
Union Territories, were given the right to
elect their own legislative assemblies.
 PRESENT STATUS WITH CHINA
• This year, 2020, marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between India and China. It was meant to be a year of celebration. But first the COVID-
19 pandemic and now the bloody showdown in Galwan where 20 of Indian Army
personnel lost their lives have exposed the tragic irony of those plans.

• Bilateral diplomacy must however work hard to ensure the implementation of the
consensus between the two militaries to achieve disengagement in areas where the LAC
in Ladakh is subject to overlapping interpretations. Sober choices have to be made by
both countries and there is definitely a need to focus on the “big picture” of bilateral
relations.
• The challenge of India and China rubbing up against each other, as
Nehru said long ago, is one that runs across the spine of Asia. A
conflict between India and China has implications that go far beyond
our borders. It is unfortunate that in this 70th year of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between them, peaceful coexistence has been
replaced by armed coexistence.

• AS THEY SAY THAT RELATIONS ARE TO BE MENDED FOR A

BETTER INTERACTION, SO WILL THESE COUNTRIE ARE
WORKING WAY TOGETHER FOR A BETTER BILATERAL
RELATION.
• The views are expressed by Nirupama Roy, Ambassador to China and
Foreign Secretary.
STRATEGIES RESPONSIBLE FOR INDO-US RELATIONS

• 1. Those Indian analysts who see international politics largely in terms of military
power are fearful of the growing closeness between India and the US. They would
prefer that India maintains its aloofness from Washington and focuses upon
increasing its own comprehensive national power.
• 2. Other analysts see the growing convergence of interests between the US and
India as a historic opportunity for India. They advocate a strategy that would allow
India to take advantage of US hegemony and the mutual convergences to establish
the best possible options for itself. Opposing the US, they argue, is a futile strategy
that will only hurt India in the long run.
• 3. A third group of analysts would advocate that India should take the lead in
establishing a coalition of countries from the developing world. Over time, this
coalition would become more powerful and may succeed in weaning the
hegemony away from its dominating ways.
 Benjamin Netanyahu termed Israel’s
relations with India as a "marriage made
in heaven but consecrated here on earth".
∙ There is “prosperity, peace and
progress” in bilateral ties.
ENGAGEMENT DURING COVID
• The border conflict with China has forced India to speed up the purchase of
military hardware including fighter jets, smart air-to-ground weapons, missiles,
rockets, multi-mission drones, air defence systems, GPS-guided artillery
ammunition, tank ammunition and even assault rifles.
• The United States, Russia, France and Israel are among the countries that India
plans to import the weaponry from.
• India is looking at sourcing from Israel the Firefly loitering ammunition, Spike
anti-tank guided missiles, Spice guidance kits that can mounted on standard bombs
to convert them into smart weapons and an operational surface-to-air missile
system.
• at a time India is making emergency military purchases from several countries
including Israel to bolster the military’s capabilities amid border tensions with
China in eastern Ladakh.
 WAY AHEAD ☺ ☺
• It
is imperative that for the partnership to
realise its full potential, both India and Israel
behave as mature democracies and try to
understand and appreciate the compulsions of
each other on a variety of regional and
international issues. It could lead to a healthy
and strong relationship between these two
major powers in the international system.
INDIA’S NUCLEAR POLICY
 INDIA’S NUCLEAR POLICY
• The first nuclear testing undertaken by India in may 1974.
• In May 1974, India has conducted its first nuclear test in
Pokharan with the codename of "Smiling Buddha".
• Between 11 and 13 May, 1998, five nuclear tests were conducted
as a part of the series of Pokhran-II. These tests were
collectively called Operation Shakti–98.
• Nuclear programme of India was initiated in the late 1940s
under the guidance of Homi J. Bhabha.
• His proposal was accepted and the Atomic Energy Commission
was established in 1948. Bhabha was appointed its first director.
• Nehru had always put his faith in science and technology for
rapidly building a modern India
• Nehru was against nuclear weapons so he pleaded with the
superpowers for comprehensive nuclear disarmament.
However, the nuclear arsenal kept rising.
 INDIA’S NUCLEAR POLICY
• Historical Background
• Nuclear programme of India was initiated in the late 1940s under the guidance
of Homi J. Bhabha.
• Nehru was against nuclear weapons so he pleaded with the superpowers
for comprehensive nuclear disarmament. However, the nuclear arsenal kept
rising.
• When Communist China conducted the nuclear tests in October 1964, the five
nuclear powers (US, USSR, UK, France, and China) also the five Permanent
Members of the UN Security Council had tried to impose the Nuclear Non-
proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968 on the rest of the world.
India has a declared nuclear no-first-use policy and is in the process of
developing a nuclear doctrine based on "credible minimum
deterrence.“

• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the Treaty

banning all nuclear explosions - everywhere, by everyone. The Treaty
was negotiated at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It opened for
signature on 24 September 1996.

• India's stand on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)

too is a principled one. India has declared that it would be unable to
sign and ratify the CTBT in its present discriminatory form.
However, India has pledged to continue with its voluntary and
unilateral moratorium on further nuclear testing.
• India’s Nuclear doctrine was first taken up in 1998 test. This was the
nuclear test conducted under Atalbihari vajpayee’s regime. Indias’
nuclear tests were only considered for self defence that India was not
interested in arms racing. The nuclear testing was done on 18th may,
1974 and it was first enunciated following a cabinet meeting in
Jan,2003.
• Some features of indias’ nuclear doctrinE.
• This is india’s nuclear policy
• Building and maintaining a ‘credible minimum deterrence’.
• No first use was another feature. It was stated that nuclear weapon will
be used only for peaceful purpose.
• Non use of nuclear weapons against non nuclear weapon state.
• India to retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons in the
event of a major attack against it with biological or chemical weapons.
• Continuance of strict controls on export of nuclear and missile related
materials and technologies.
• Continued commitment to goal of nuclear weapon free world through
non discriminatory disarmament.
WHAT IS A NUCLEAR DOCTRINE?
• A nuclear doctrine states how a nuclear weapon state would employ its nuclear
weapons both during peace and war.
• The doctrine helps to establish deterrence.- PREVENT ATTACK
• Through the nuclear doctrine a state can communicate its intention and resolve to the
enemy. THIS WILL LEAD TO SECURITY DILEMMA AND SECURITY
PARADOX.
• Security dilemma- The security dilemma, also referred to as the spiral model, is a term
used in international relations and refers to a situation in which, under anarchy, actions
by a state intended to heighten its security, such as increasing its military strength,
committing to use weapons or making alliances, can lead other states to respond with
similar measures, producing increased tensions that create conflict, even when no side
really desires.
• The doctrine also guides the state’s response during war.
 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
• Signed in 1968, the treaty entered into force in 1970, now has 190 member states. It requires countries
to give up any present or future plans to build nuclear weapons in return for access to peaceful uses of
nuclear energy.
• Three main objectives of the treaty are non-proliferation, disarmament, and the right to peacefully use
nuclear technology.
• India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew, thus
becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.
• India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.
• India has opposed the international treaties aimed at non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable
to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.
• The first nuclear explosion undertaken by India in May 1974.
• India argued that it was committed to the policy of using nuclear power only for peaceful purposes.
• India opposed the indefinite extension of the NPT in 1995 and also refused to sign the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT).
• India conducted a series of nuclear tests in May 1998, demonstrating its capacity to use nuclear energy for
military purposes.
• Pakistan soon followed, thereby increasing the vulnerability of the region to a nuclear exchange.
• The international community was extremely critical of the nuclear tests in the subcontinent and sanctions
were imposed on both India and Pakistan, which were subsequently waived.
• After the 1998 nuclear test India also enunciated a doctrine of 'No First Use’ (NFU) of nuclear weapons.
NFU( NFU IS A KEY FEATURE OF TE INDIA’S
NUCLEAR POLICY) A GLANCE AT NO-FIRST
USE.

• The doctrine was formally adopted in January, 2003, and says

that nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation against a
nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere.
• Since the adoption of nuclear doctrine, India has said
consistently that its nuclear weapons were based on
staggering(shocking) and punitive retaliation (required for
punishment), in case the deterrence has failed.
• Pakistan, by contrast, has openly threatened India with the use
of nuclear weapons on multiple occasions beginning from the
time the two nations were not even acknowledged nuclear
powers.
 NEW UPDATE AS GIVEN BY –CBSE ON
CURRENT NUCLEAR POLICY

• India’s Nuclear Program’ (Updates) India's nuclear policy has

always been peace-oriented, whose clear impression is reflected
in the policy of No First Use. But in view of contemporary
regional security challenges, the present government led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that the policy
of no first use can be reviewed and changed in consonance with
India's regional and national security. In addition, India is
committed to ensuring its membership in the Nuclear Suppliers
Group (NSG) and opposing partisan and unjust nuclear treaties
like CTBT and NPT.