12 FOREIGN POLICY OF INDIA

Objective/Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

1. Which article of the Indian Constitution deals with the Directive Principles
of state policy is concerned with India's foreign policy?
Ans. (d) Article - 51
2. Which political party and political leader opposed Pt. Nehru's foreign
policy?
Ans. Political parties like 'Bharatiya Jana Sangh' and 'Swatantra Party'
opposed Pt. Nehru's foreign policy.
3. The Bandung Conference led to the establishment of:
Ans. Non-Aligned Movement
4. Who was the spiritual leader of Tibet?
Ans. The spiritual leader of Tibet was 'Dalai Lama'.
5. In which year China put control over Tibet?
Ans. 1950
6. The statements which are not true about India's Nuclear Programme:
(i) India's Nuclear Programme has always been peace-oriented.
(ii) India's Nuclear Programme is in favour of CTBT.
(iii) India is committed to be a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
(iv) India's Nuclear Programme is to help the smaller countries of Asia.
Ans.6 (ii) and (iv)
7. Give the events of the following years:
A B
(a) March 1947 Asian Relations Conference
(b) September 1961 Belgrade Conference, the first Summit of the NAM
(c) October 1962 China's invasion on India
(d) April 1965 Pakistan's armed attack on India

8. Under which background India adopted its foreign policy?

Ans. Under the background of devastating Second World War, issues of
reconstruction, emergence of decolonized countries, partition pressure,
India adopted its foreign policy.
9. When did India undertake the first nuclear explosion?
Ans. (b) May 1974
10. Name the countries which formed axis with Pakistan.
Ans. USA and China formed axis with Pakistan.
11. How was peace restored after India-Pakistan war of 1965?
Ans. The peace was restored with UN intervention and signing of Tashkent
Agreement in 1966.
12. Which did V.K. Krishna Menon hold in Nehru's cabinet?
Ans. V.K. Krishna Menon holded the post of Defence Minister in Nehru's
cabinet.
13. India signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in August, 1971 with
which country.
Ans. (c) USSR-India signed Treaty of Peace and Friendship
14. Name the Indian Prime Ministers in whose tenure the first and the
second nuclear tests were conducted.
Ans. Under the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi - the first nuclear test of 1974
conducted and under the Prime Minister - Atal Bihari Vajpayee the second
nuclear test conducted in year 1998..
15. Who was the President of US during the Bangladesh war 1971?
Ans. Richard Nixon was the President of US during the Bangladesh war
1971.
16. Mujahideen forces claimed and occupied __________, ________,
_________ and __________ of LOC points.
Ans. Mashkoh, Dras, Kaksar and Batalik of LOC points.
17. Name the architect of India's foreign policy.
Ans. Pt. Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was the main architect of
India's foreign policy.
18. Name the political parties which supported the cause of Tibet's
independence.
Ans. The Socialist Party and the Jan Sangh supported the cause of Tibet's
independence.
19. Which party got split over the Chinese aggression of 1962?
Ans. The Communist Party of India got split in 1964 into CPI closer to
Soviet Union and CPI (M) Marxist closer to Chinese communism.
20. Highlight the reason behind conducting the first nuclear explosions by
India in May 1974.
Ans. main reason behind conducting the first nuclear explosions by India in
May 1974 was to maintain 'Balance of Power" with Pakistan and China.
21. Why had India refuse to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
(NPT)?
Ans. India refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty because of
its discriminatory nature based on partisan and unjust policy.
22. When did the diplomatic relation between India and Israel formally
develop?
Ans. In 1992, the diplomatic relation between India and Israel formally
developed with the opening of Israeli Embassy in India.
23. What is NSG? How is it relevant to India?
Ans. NSG is the Nuclear Suppliers Group. India is committed to ensure its
membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group.
24. What were the new terms on which new nations emerged after the
collapse of colonialism?
Ans. As a result of the collapse of colonialism many new nations were
trying to come to terms with the twin challenges of welfare and democracy.
Free India's foreign policy reflected all these concerns in the period
immediately after independence.
25. In which context India started participating in the world affairs as an
independent nation-state?
Ans. Indian started participating in the world affairs as an independent
nation-state with the overall context like:
(a) The legacy of many international disputes left by the British
government.
(b) Pressure created by partition and
(c) The task of poverty alleviation.
26. What is the basic aim of India's policy towards
Ans. As a nation India was born in the backdrop of the World War so it
decided to conduct its foreign relations with an aim to respect the
sovereignty of all other nations and to achieve security through the
maintenance of peace. "This aim finds an echo in the Directive Principles of
State Policy”.
27. What do you mean by foreign policy?
Ans. (a)The foreign policy of a nation reflects the interplay of domestic and
external factors.
(b) It is a systematic statement of deliberately selected national interests
based on its global concerns and economic development, etc.
28. What was the significance of Bandung Conference?
Ans. (a) The Bandung Conference was the Afro-Asian Conference which
was held in Indonesian city of Bandung in 1955.
(b)This conference led to the establishment of NAM and marked the zenith
of India's engagement with the newly independent Asian and African
nations.
29. Which step was the cornerstone regarding India China relations?
Ans. The joint enunciation of Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful
coexistence by the Indian Prime Minister Nehru and Chinese Premier Zhou
Enlai on 29 April 1954 was a step in the direction of stronger relationship
between the two countries.
30. Why did India refuse to sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
(NPT)?
Ans. India always considered the NPT as discriminatory partisan and unjust
and has refused to sign it.
India argued that it was committed to the policy of using nuclear power only
for peaceful purposes.
31. Discuss the factors which influence a country's foreign policy.
Ans. The basic factors which influence a country's foreign policy are the
domestic and international environment
(a) Moreover, a country's economic and security dependence on the more
powerful states occasionally influences its foreign policy
(b) To some extent the noble ideals of India's struggle for freedom also
influenced India's foreign policy making.
32. Under which international context India pursued its National interest?
Ans. The period of India's independence was marked by some changes in
international area such as:
(a) Emergence of two superpowers with two military blocs.
(b) Establishment of the UN.
(c) The creation of nuclear weapons.
(d) The emergence of communist China.
(e) The beginning of decolonisation.
So India's leadership had to pursue its national interests within the
prevailing international context.
33. Who was the architects of India's foreign policy. List the basic
objectives of Nehru's foreign policy.
Ans. (a) The first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was the
"chief architect" of India's foreign policy.
(b) The three major objectives of Nehru's foreign policy were:
(i) to preserve the hard earned sovereignty.
(ii) to protect territorial integrity, and
(ii) to promote rapid economic development.
34. How did India support China in her post-Independence Era?
Ans. After the "Chinese Revolution in 1949", India was one of the first
countries to recognize the Communist government. Jawaharlal Nehru felt
strongly for this neighbour that was coming out of the shadow of western
domination and helped the new government in international for a i.e. United
Nations. In this way, free India began its relationship with China on a very
friendly note.
35. What is India's stand on international treaties like Non-proliferation?
Or
Why did India oppose the indefinite expansion of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty?
Ans. 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.

(a) Thus, India opposed the indefinite extension of the NPT in 1995 and
also refused to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Le. CTBT
(b) India's nuclear doctrine of credible minimum nuclear deterrent professes
"no first use" and reiterates India's commitment to global, verifiable and
non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament leading to a A nuclear weapons
free world.

36. What were the reasons for India's neglecting attitude towards Israel
during the early years of its Independence.
Ans. In the early years of Independence India had neglecting attitude
towards Israel due to political reasons.
India's foreign policy in the Middle East region, now called West Asian
Region were mainly concentrated with Islamic countries and Israel is the
non-Islamic country.
37. What is the present strategy regarding the "nuclear policy no first use"
in the contemporary world?
Ans. India's policy has always been peace-oriented, whose clear
impression reflected in the policy of "No First Use". But in the view of
contemporary regional security challenges, the present government led by
the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that the policy of no
first use can be reviewed and changed in the consonance with India's
regional and national security.

38. Discuss India's role in Afro-Asian unity during the Nehru's Era.
Ans. With advantage of its size, location and power potential, India played
a major role in world affairs and especially in Asian affairs. Nehru's Era was
marked by the establishment of contacts between India and other newly
independent states in Asia and Africa.

(a) Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Nehru had been an ardent advocate
of Asian unity. Under his leadership, India convened the Asian Relations
Conference in March 1947, five months ahead of attaining its
independence.
(b) 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.
(c) Indie was a staunch supporter of the decolonisation process and firmly
opposed racism, especially apartheid in South Africa
(d). And 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.

39. Analyse Directive Principles of State Policy on "promotion of

international peace and security".
Or
List any four Directive Principles of State Policy given in the Constitution of
India for the promotion of International Peace and Security.

Ans. In the Indian Constitution Article 51 deals with the "Directive Principles
of State Policy on "Promotion of international peace and security" The
Article states that the state shall endeavour to

(a) Promote international peace and security

(b) Maintain just and honourable relations between nations
(c) Foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings
of organised people with one another, and
(d) Encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration". Thus,
Indian constitution envisages directions to the state administration for the
promotion of international peace.

40. What was the Tibet issue? How did it cause tension between India and
China?
Ans. "Tibet' the plateau region of central Asia is one of the major issues
that for a long period of history caused tension between India and China. It
was considered as the historical buffer between India and China

(a) Since 1950, China has claimed administrative control over Tibet.
(b) In 1950, China took over control of Tibet but larger sections of the
Tibetan population opposed this takeover
(c) India conceded China's claim over Tibet. But in 1958 there was an
armed uprising in Tibet against China's occupation which was fully
suppressed by the Chinese
(d) Dalai Lama sought asylum in India which was granted.
(e) The Chinese government strongly protested against this and created
the Tibet autonomous region which is an integral part of China
(f) Tibetans oppose China's claim that Tibet a part of Chinese territory.
They think that China wants to undermine the traditional religion and
culture of Tibet.
All these developments led to tension between India and China

41. Mention the objectives of Nehru's foreign policy. What was the strategy
through which he wanted to achieve them?
Ans. The foreign policy of a nation reflects the interplay of domestic and
external factors.
It is a systematic statement of deliberately selected national interests based
on its global concerns and economic development, etc.
(a) The first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was the "chief
architect of India's foreign policy.
(b) The three major objectives of Nehru's foreign policy were:
(i) to preserve the hard earned sovereignty
(ii) to protect territorial integrity, and
(iii) to promote rapid economic development.

42. How does political leadership of a nation reflect India's foreign policy?
Ans. The political leadership of a nation reflects India's foreign policy in
many ways like:

(i)The first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru played a crucial role in
setting up the national agenda. Being a socialist he maintained close
relations with the USSR.

(ii) 1977 onwards many non-congress governments came to power in the

centre. This brought a major change in India's foreign policy a tilt towards
USA and other capitalist countries.

(iii) The Janta party government of 1977 announced that it would follow
genuine non-alignment.

(iv) This implied that pro-Soviet tilt in the foreign policy will be corrected.
Since then, all governments have taken initiatives for restoring relations to
China and entering into close ties with US.

(v)But with the change leadership and party system post 1990 period the
ruling parties have been criticized for their pro-US foreign policy. In the
contemporary world the present NDA government has followed strategically
unconventional route regarding foreign policy.
(vi) NDA's foreign policy is focussed on improving relations with
neighbouring countries in South Asia and major global powers. It has
adopted district Nationalist tone.

43. How has India developed diplomatic relations with Israel? Discuss.

Ans.43 (a) The diplomatic relations have been developed between India
and Israel in 1992 after the opening of Israeli embassy in India.

(b) The relations between the two gained firmness after the formation of the
BJP led NDA governments in 1996 and 1998 onwards.

(c) Relations between the two democratic nations further intensified with
the visits of two Heads of government Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
Israel in 2017 and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India in 2018.
(d) The two nation have started cooperation in various fields like cultural
exchange, security and defence, counter terrorism, space research, water
and energy and agriculture development.

INDIA'S RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL

The Jews are the people who believe in and practise the religion of
Judaism. They, before their permanent settlement in Palestine, were like
other wandering tribes. They did not become a 'State' until Israel was
created on 14 May, 1948.

Balfour Declaration, 1917

It was in 1917 that the British Minister Arthur Balfour made a Declaration
promising a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. Between the two World Wars
(1914-1945) large numbers of Jews settled down in Palestine. This process
got faster and faster because of persecution of Jews by Nazi rulers in
Germany and other parts of Europe. The Arab inhabitants of Palestine
protested strongly against it. Ultimately the State of Israel was established
in 1948. Since then there had been conflicts between Israel and displaced
Arab Palestinians on the one hand, and Israel and its neighbouring Arab
States, on the other. Thousands of Palestians were displaced. The UN
established an Agency to aid and rehabilitate some six lakh Arab
Palestinians. It was expected to be a temporary Agency. Ultimately in 1951
was established the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). In 1951 when this Office was established the official
estimate of the refugees all over the world was over one million.

Diplomatic Relations between India and Israel

The Jewish State is not a theocracy. It does not function on the basis of
Jews' religious principles. Israel is a Secular State, unlike other states
throughout the Middle East. We had established diplomatic relations with
the West Asian nations soon after those countries gained Independence
from the foreign rule. It is surprising that diplomatic relations between India
and Israel were formally established too late in 1992. It was mainly
because of Arab hostility towards Israel. Our rulers all these years thought
that growing Indo-Israeli relations could have adversely affected India's
relations with countries in the Gulf region.

India-Israel Relations remained in Low Profile

Even after the establishment of embassies in each other's country in 1992,

cooperation between India and Israel remained in low profile. The BJP-led
NDA Governments formed in 1996 and 1998 were shortlived. But the NDA
Government formed in 1999 remained in power for about 5 years (October
1999 to May 2004). It was only during the NDA Governments that relations
between Israel and India increased in manifold forms. Israel's irrigation
schemes and its textiles and electronic industries had reached a high level
of development. But India's non-military trade with Israel, was worth only
some 200 million dollars in 1992. In 2002 it reached more than 1.27 billion
dollars.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Visit to Israel

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Israel in 2017 marked a historic change in

India-Israeli relations. Seven Agreements were signed on Research and
Development in the fields of Water, Agriculture and Space, besides
'Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Cooperation in areas such
as trade, science, technology and security.
Israeli Prime Minister's Visit to India
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited India in 2018. These
visits opened a vista of cooperation in many fields, such as security and
defence, cooperation to stop terror-funding, surveillance equipment for
watching the movement of terrorists or the army personnel and agriculture
and farm sector. India is very much interested in "tapping Israel's world-
famous capacities in water technology." Israel has also become India's
biggest arms supplier. Indian companies do sell well their chemical and
pharmaceutical products in Israeli markets.

Normalisation of Jewish-Arab Relations

The Year 2020 was marked by normalisation of Israel's relations with

United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. Other Arab States such as Saudi
Arabia were expected to do the same thing. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman is on record as saying, Israelis have a "right to
have their own land." This is the only way to ensure peace in the Gulf
region. Such a process will further enhance Indian-Israeli relations.

Look East Policy becomes Act East Policy

1. India's Look East Policy was enunciated in the early 1990s.

2. This policy had gained economic, political and strategic dimensions.
Look East Policy could connect India with South-East Asia via Bangladesh
and Myanmar.
3. The NDA Government decided to change the name of the policy. The
Look East Policy came to be known as the Act East Policy.
4. India's endeavour was to strengthen economic and strategic ties with
South-east Asian countries that would possibly act as a "counterweight to
the influence of China in the region."

Shimla Accord
The Shimla Accord agreed to end conflicts between India and Pakistan in
July 3, 1972 and work for lasting friendship in the sub-continent. In this
context V.N, Khanna writes: "With these objectives in view

(i)India was to seek peaceful solutions to disputes and problems through

bilateral negotiations, and neither India nor Pakistan would unilaterally
change the existing situation, and
(ii) not to use force against each other, nor violate the territorial integrity,
nor interfere in political freedom of each other."
V.N. Khanna further observes:

"Both the governments would discourage all propaganda against each

other, and encourage such news items as would promote friendly relations.
In order to normalise the relations between two countries:

(i) all communication links would be re-established;

(ii) transit facilities would be provided to enable the peoples of two

countries to have closer contacts;

(iii) as far as possible, trade and economic cooperation would be re-

established; and

(iv) mutual exchange in the fields of science and culture would be

promoted.

Both the governments agreed in the interest of permanent peace that

(i)the armies of both the countries would return within their respective
international borders;
(ii) both countries would recognise the line of control as at the time of cease
fire on December 17, 1971; and

(iii) the armies would go back to their respective territories within 20 days of
enforcement of this agreement.

Finally, it was agreed that heads of two governments would meet in future
and the officials of two countries would in the meantime confer among
themselves to normalize their relations.

Efforts Towards Arms Control and Disarmament

After the end of the Second World War, the United Nations was created to
maintain world peace. The UN, took several steps for arms control. These
include the following:

1. The first UN General Assembly resolution of 1946 called for elimination

of atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
2. In 1959, the UN adopted the goal of general and complete disarmament
under international supervision.

3. In 1961, an Eighteen Nation Committee on disarmament was

constituted. It was later

called Committee on Disarmament and by 1979; it had 40 members. In

addition to the UN efforts, several other steps for disarmament have been
taken at the international level which are detailed below:

1. Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT): In 1963, the PTBT was signed by the
UK, the USA and USSR. It prohibited all test explosions on land, in air and
under water. It allowed only underground tests. It was later ratified by 98
members including India.

2. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): In 1968, the UK, the USA, the
USSR and 50 other states signed the NPT. The treaty bans nuclear states
from encouraging or giving material to non-nuclear states to acquire
nuclear weapons. The states are supposed to use nuclear energy only for
peaceful purposes. India did not sign this treaty as it regarded the treaty as
discriminatory.

3. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT): In 1977, negotiations started

for the CTBT. The CTBT imposes restrictions on non-nuclear states but
does not impose restrictions on nuclear states. It even bans the right of
states to conduct peaceful nuclear explosions. The treaty was approved in
1996 but India has not signed this treaty since it is tilted in favour of the
nuclear states.

India's Approach Towards Disarmament

India has always pursued the policy of disarmament at the global level. Its
efforts have been as follows: 1. In 1948, India called for elimination of all
nuclear weapons and use of nuclear energy only

for peaceful purposes. 2. In 1948, India was the first country in the UN
General Assembly to call for a ban on nuclear testing.
3. In 1961, India along with other non-aligned states brought a resolution in
the UN General Assembly that any state using nuclear weapons would be
violating the UN charter and committing a crime against humanity.

4. In 1964, India called for ending proliferation of nuclear weapons both

vertically and horizontally.
5. In December 1978, India gave a proposal at the first special session of
the UN General Assembly on Disarmament to declare the use of nuclear
weapons as a violation of the UN charter. This resolution was adopted by
the UN in 1978.

6. In 1978, India proposed an international convention on prohibiting use of

nuclear weapons.

7. In 1982, India demanded a ban on prohibition of fissile material for

nuclear weapons.

8. At the 1983 Non-Aligned Summit at New Delhi, India gave a proposal to

ban the use of nuclear weapons, to eliminate nuclear arsenals, to ban the
use of outer space for nuclear tests and to conclude CTBT as early as
possible.

9. In 1988, India put forward a "Comprehensive Plan for Total Elimination of

Weapons of Mass Destruction" at the UN General Assembly session. The
big powers' disagreement on total elimination of nuclear weapons led to the
failure of this proposal and the CTBT.

India's Stand on the NPT and CTBT

India's approach to disarmament has four goals: 1. Disarmament is to apply

to all countries.

2. It is to be universal.

3. It is to include all types of weapons.

4. It has to be implemented under strict international supervision.

It was because the NPT and the CTBT did not fulfil all the above-mentioned
conditions that India did not sign the treaties. Its approach is that the NPT
and the CTBT are discriminatory.

India and the NPT:

India opposes the NPT (1968) because the treaty is unequal. It imposes
strict limitations on non-nuclear weapon states but the nuclear states are
not restricted from proliferating nuclear weapons. The treaty also denies
right to peaceful nuclear explosions by non-nuclear states. The treaty has
been rejected for being discriminatory.

India and CTBT: India has even refused to sign the CTBT because it
does not answer India's two basic concerns:
(i)Freedom to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and
(ii) India's national security concerns.