INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA Exploring Regional Perceptions INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA Exploring Regional Perceptions Editor VISHAL CHANDRA INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES & ANALYSES NEW DELHI PENTAGON PRESS India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions Vishal Chandra (Editor) First Published in 2015 Copyright © Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi ISBN 978-81-8274-812-5 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without first obtaining written permission of the copyright owner. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, or the Government of India. Published by PENTAGON PRESS 206, Peacock Lane, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049 Phones: 011-64706243, 26491568 Telefax: 011-26490600 email: [email protected] website: www.pentagonpress.in Branch Office Flat No.213, Athena-2, Clover Acropolis, Viman Nagar, Pune-411014 In association with Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No. 1, Development Enclave, New Delhi-110010 Phone: +91-11-26717983 website: www.idsa.in Printed at Avantika Printers Private Limited. Contents Foreword vii Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi About the Contributors xv List of Maps, Tables and Figures xxi Welcome Remarks by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director General, IDSA xxv Inaugural Address by Hon’ble Defence Minister, Shri A.K. Antony xxix Introduction xxiii Vishal Chandra PART I SHAPING OF PERCEPTIONS IN SOUTH ASIA 1. Does Academia Matter to the Shaping of Mutual Perceptions in South Asia? 3 Pratyoush Onta 2. ‘Not India’: Pakistan, India and the Self 18 Yaqoob Khan Bangash 3. Changing Relations between Bangladesh and India: Perceptions in Bangladesh 29 M. Humayun Kabir 4. The Geo-Strategic Matrix and Existential Dimension of Sri Lanka’s Conflict, Post-War Crisis and External Relations 46 Dayan Jayatilleka PART II MUTUAL PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS 5. Perceptions and Memories: Making Sense of Bangladesh’s India Outlook 59 Partha S. Ghosh vi India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions 6. Changing Dynamics in Nepal-India Relations 70 Dinesh Bhattarai 7. Rising India and Bangladesh-India Relations: Mutual Perceptions and Expectations 93 M. Ashique Rahman 8. Indo-Afghan Relationship: Afghan Expectations and Indian Reluctance 119 Davood Moradian 9. Shift in Maldivian Perception Towards India During the 2012 Political Crisis 128 Mohamed Naahee Naseem 10. Myanmar’s Perception of India 133 Denzil Abel 11. Bhutan and Its International Collaborations-2013 141 Pema Tenzin and Chhimi Dorji PART III PERCEPTIONS ON REGIONAL COOPERATION 12. South Asian Economic Integration: Potential, Challenges and the Way Forward 153 Nagesh Kumar 13. Stepped-Up Inter-State Dialogue as a Key to Improving SAARC Development Prospects 170 Gabriel Ian Lynn Ockersz 14. China and South Asian Cooperation Under SAARC 180 S.D. Muni 15. India’s Trade with Neighbours: Perceptions and Reality— With Special Reference to India-Pakistan Trade 189 Indra Nath Mukherji 16. Seizing New Opportunity for Regional Cooperation and Understanding 205 Shahmahmood Miakhel The Way Forward: Key Recommendations 211 Index 222 Foreword The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) has been organising an annual South Asia Conference which brings together experts from India and all the other SAARC countries to exchange views on major issues of common interest to the region. Commencing the 6th South Asia Conference in the year 2012, scholars from Myanmar have also been participating. Every year, the papers presented at the Conference are collated and published as an edited book for future reference by researchers and students. The present volume is the product of the 7th South Asia Conference on the theme “India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions” that was held in New Delhi on October 30-31, 2013. The present volume, edited by Mr. Vishal Chandra, Associate Fellow at the Institute, brings together the papers presented at the Conference. Scholars and experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka had shared their perspectives on the theme of the Conference. It is an established fact that South Asia is one of the least integrated regions of the world. Mutual suspicions and negative perceptions about one another have played a big part in keeping the region out of step with the global trend towards greater regional integration. Difference in size, population and economy relative to India, although important, still does not offer full explanation for India being seen as an overbearing ‘big brother’. There are issues specific to each country; sometimes related to identity and domestic politics, and other times because of unresolved bilateral disputes or the felt need to involve external powers to balance a bigger neighbour and/or benefit by playing one against the other. The participants at the Conference discussed the reasons for the prevailing- many a time negative- perceptions among the SAARC partners vis-à-vis India and vice versa. They also discussed the inadequacy of the effort on India’s part to be more sensitive to the natural fears and apprehensions of smaller countries, and being unable to reinforce its image of being a developmental partner for them. The participants also rightly brought out the need for greater people-to-people viii India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions contacts and ease of travel within the region so that perceptions are not shaped and exploited by the vested interests. It was also felt by most participants that there was inadequate emphasis on studying the neighbours in all the countries of the region. This lacuna has to be filled for correcting perceptions. It is a fact that India, with 80 per cent of the regional GDP and 70 per cent of South Asia’s population, has an important role to play in making regional cooperation possible by improving its relationship further with all its neighbours. Greater effort—going beyond public diplomacy, to clear and improve perceptions among its neighbours will be in the interest of India and the region. Exchange of researchers and students and research about one another should be focused upon. I commend Mr. Vishal Chandra for having brought out this useful volume. It is hoped that the book would raise awareness about the importance of perceptions in shaping relationships between India and its neighbours and would be found useful by scholars, researchers and policy makers alike. New Delhi Brig. Rumel Dahiya, SM (Retd.) Deputy Director General, IDSA Acknowledgements This edited volume is an outcome of the 7th South Asia Conference which was held on October 30-31, 2013 at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi. Participants from all the South Asian countries deliberated upon the theme of the annual conference, titled, “India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions”, and made a valuable contribution by way of revisiting, reinterpreting and often deconstructing various narratives and perceptions— national and sub-national, historical and contemporary, and social and economic —embedded within the South Asia region. The emerging or changing intra-regional perceptions were also put to scrutiny during the two-day deliberation. The participants not only highlighted and discussed various critical aspects relating to the conference theme, but also suggested the way forward on managing diverse and often negative and regressive perceptions prevalent within the region. Apart from expressing my sincere gratitude to the distinguished participants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar, I must acknowledge the valuable contribution made by the Indian scholars too. The moderators for different sessions of the conference—Professor S.D. Muni, Ambassador Veena Sikri, Ambassador Sheel Kant Sharma, General (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta and Dr. Arvind Gupta—played a significant role in the smooth conduct of the proceedings. Their known scholarship in the subject further enriched the discussion and debate that followed at the end of each session. I am indebted to my former Director General Dr. Arvind Gupta for his constant support and guidance in organising the 7th South Asia Conference. This book would not have been possible without the trust and encouragement of my Deputy Director General Brig. Rumel Dahiya, SM (Retd.). His personal attention and advice especially as I was finalising the manuscript of this book is deeply appreciated. I am also grateful to my colleague Dr. Ashok Kumar Behuria, Coordinator of the South Asia Centre at IDSA, for his support. x India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions I would be failing in my duty if I do not acknowledge several of my other colleagues who contributed in their respective capacities to the success of this conference. I would particularly like to thank my colleague Ms. Gulbin Sultana, who tirelessly worked and ably assisted me in successfully organising the conference. Mr. Aditya Valiathan Pillai, research intern at the time of the conference, too deserves my special praise for responsibly carrying out the assigned tasks. I also wish to sincerely thank my colleagues Ms. Sumita Kumar, Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik, Dr. Priyanka Singh, Dr. Anand Kumar, Mr. Shyam Hari, Dr. Nihar Nayak, Ms. Shruti Pandalai, Ms. Eshita Mukherjee, Mr. Amit Kumar, Dr. Saurabh Mishra, Dr. Saroj Bishoyi, Mr. Parveen Bhardwaj, Mr. Shreyas Deshmukh, Dr. Yaqoob ul Hassan, Ms. Pranamita Baruah, Mr. Avinash Godbole, Ms. Daneesh Sethna, Ms. Gunjan Singh, Mr. Rajorshi Roy and many others for their kind support and cooperation. I am also grateful to my colleague Mr. Vivek Kaushik, Associate Editor, Publication Division, for ensuring timely copy-editing of all the chapters. I must also place my special thanks to the publisher, Pentagon Press, for bringing out this edited volume in a professional manner. I present this volume to the interested readers with the hope that it would contribute to the ongoing debate and discourse on the future of the South Asia region.