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South Asia

Larger Global Development Our own region

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South Asia

When India and Pakistan joined the club of nuclear powers, this region suddenly
became the focus of global attention.
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Why?

● The various kinds of conflict in this region.

● There are pending border and water sharing disputes between the states of the region.

● Besides, there are conflicts arising out of insurgency, ethnic strife.

● At the same time, many people in South Asia recognise the fact that this region can develop
and prosper if the states of the region cooperate with each other.
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Subhas Rai’s adaptation of ‘Liberty

Leading the People’, painted by Eugene
Delacroix in 1830. Courtesy of Himal
Southasian, (January 2007) The South
Asia Trust, Nepal
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What we are going to study in this chapter?

❏ What is South Asia?

❏ Timeline of South Asia
❏ The military and democracy in Pakistan
❏ Democracy in Bangladesh
❏ Monarchy and democracy in Nepal
❏ Ethnic conflict and democracy in Sri Lanka
❏ India-Pakistan conflicts
❏ India and its neighbours
❏ Peace and cooperation
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South Asia

Ours is a region where rivalry

and goodwill, hope and
despair, mutual suspicion and
trust coexist.
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What is South Asia?

● The expression ‘South Asia’ usually includes the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

● The mighty Himalayas in the north and the vast Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal in the south, west and east respectively provide a natural insularity to the region, which
is largely responsible for the linguistic, social and cultural distinctiveness of the subcontinent.

● Afghanistan and Myanmar are often included in discussions of the region as a whole.

● China is an important player but is not considered to be a part of the region.

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Thus defined, South Asia stands for diversity in every sense and yet constitutes one geopolitical space.

Countries in South Asia do not have the same kind of political system.

➔ India and Sri Lanka has successfully operated as a democratic system since their independence.

➔ Pakistan and Bangladesh have experienced both civilian and military rulers.

➔ Till 2006, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy with the danger of the king taking over executive
powers. In 2008, the monarchy was abolished and Nepal emerged as a democratic republic.
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➔ Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy in 2008. Under the leadership of the king, it emerged
as a multi-party democracy.

➔ The Maldives, the other island nation, was a Sultanate till 1968 when it was transformed into a
republic with a presidential form of government. In June 2005, the parliament of the Maldives
voted unanimously to introduce a multiparty system.
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Despite the mixed record of the democratic experience, the people in all these countries share the
aspiration for democracy.

Analyse the recent surveys

In that sense the South Asian experience of democracy has expanded the global imagination of
democracy.
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Despite the mixed record of the democratic experience, the people in all these countries share the
aspiration for democracy.

Analyse the recent surveys

In that sense the South Asian

experience of democracy has
expanded the global
imagination of democracy.
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United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report, 2018

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Timeline of South Asia Since 1947:

❖ 1947:
➢ India and Pakistan emerge as independent
nations after the end of British rule

❖ 1948:
➢ Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gains independence.
➢ Indo Pak conflict over Kashmir.

❖ 1954-55:
➢ Pakistan joins the Cold War military blocs,
SEATO and CENTO.
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❖ 1960:
➢ India and Pakistan sign the Indus
Waters Treaty.

❖ 1962:
➢ Border conflict between India and
China.

❖ 1965:
➢ Indo-Pak War; UN India-Pakistan
Observation Mission.
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❖ 1966:
➢ India and Pakistan sign the Tashkent Agreement.
➢ Six-point proposal of Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman for
greater autonomy to East Pakistan.

❖ 1971 March:
➢ Proclamation of Independence by leaders of
Bangladesh.

❖ August:
➢ Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship signed for 20 years.

❖ December:
➢ Indo-Pak War, Liberation of Bangladesh.
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❖ 1972 July:
➢ India and Pakistan sign the Shimla Agreement.

❖ 1974 May:
➢ India conducts nuclear test.

❖ 1976:
➢ Pakistan and Bangladesh establish diplomatic
ties.

❖ 1985 December:
➢ South Asian leaders sign the SAARC Charter at
the first summit in Dhaka.
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❖ 1987:
➢ Indo-Sri Lanka Accord; Indian Peace Keeping Force
(IPKF) operation in Sri Lanka (1987-90).

❖ 1988:
➢ India sends troops to the Maldives to foil a coup
attempt by mercenaries.
➢ India and Pakistan sign the agreement not to attack
nuclear installations and facilities of each other.

❖ 1988-91:
➢ Democracy restoration in Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Nepal.
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❖ 1996 December:
➢ India and Bangladesh sign the Farakka Treaty
for sharing of the Ganga Waters.

❖ 1998 May:
➢ India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests.

❖ December:
➢ India and Sri Lanka sign the Free Trade
Agreement (FTA).

❖ 1999 February:
➢ Indian PM Vajpayee undertakes bus journey
to Lahore to sign a Peace Declaration.
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❖ June-July:1999
➢ Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan.

❖ 2001 July:
➢ Vajpayee - Musharraf Agra Summit unsuccessful.

❖ 2004 January:
➢ SAFTA signed at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad.

❖ 2007:
➢ Afghanistan joined SAARC.

❖ 2014 November:
➢ The 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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The Military and Democracy in Pakistan:
Political succession in Pakistan

● After Pakistan framed its first constitution, General Ayub Khan took over the administration of
the country and soon got himself elected.
● He had to give up office when there was popular dissatisfaction against his rule.

Military rule under General Yahya Khan

During Yahya’s military rule, Pakistan faced the Bangladesh crisis, and after a war with India in
1971, East Pakistan broke away to emerge as an independent country called Bangladesh.
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General Ayub Khan

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General Yahya Khan India-Pakistan war 1971

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After 1971 war An elected government under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto came to power in Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.

● The Bhutto government was removed by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977.

● General Zia faced a pro-democracy movement from 1982 onwards and

and an elected democratic government was established once again in
1988 under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto.

Benazir Bhutto
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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zia ul Haq

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Period after 1988

Pakistani politics centered around the political

competition between the party of Benazir
Bhutto (The Pakistan people’s party) and the
party of Nawaz Sharif (The muslim league).

Nawaz Sharif
This phase of elective democracy lasted till 1999
when the army stepped in again and General
Pervez Musharraf removed Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.
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General Pervez Musharraf

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Military rule under general Pervez Musharraf

● General Musharraf got himself elected as the

President. Pakistan continued to be ruled by the
army, though the army rulers have held some
elections to give their rule a democratic image.

● Since 2008, democratically elected leaders have

been ruling Pakistan.

This cartoon comments on the dual role of

Pakistan’s ruler Pervez Musharraf as the
President of the country and as the army
General.
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Factors contributed to Pakistan’s failure in building a stable democracy.

● The social dominance of the military, clergy, and landowning aristocracy has led to the
frequent overthrow of elected governments and the establishment of military government.

● Pakistan’s conflict with India has made the pro-military groups more powerful.
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● The lack of genuine international support for democratic rule in Pakistan has further
encouraged the military to continue its dominance.

● While democracy has not been fully successful in Pakistan, there has been a strong pro-
democracy sentiment in the country.

● Pakistan has a courageous and relatively free press and a strong human rights movement.
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The United States and other Western countries have encouraged the military’s authoritarian rule in
the past, for their own reasons.

Their fear of the threat of what they call ‘global Islamic terrorism’ and the apprehension that
Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal might fall into the hands of these terrorist groups, the military regime in
Pakistan has been seen as the protector of Western interests in West Asia and South Asia.
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Democracy in Bangladesh:

Bangladesh

1971
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Reason for partition

The people of this region resented the domination of western Pakistan and the imposition of the
Urdu language.
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Reason for partition

The people of this region resented the domination of western Pakistan and the imposition of the
Urdu language.
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Demands of the people of East Pakistan

➔ Since 1947, they began protests against the unfair treatment

meted out to the Bengali culture and language.

➔ They also demanded fair representation in administration and a

fair share in political power.

➔ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the popular struggle against West

Pakistani domination.

➔ He demanded autonomy for the eastern region. Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman
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Election of 1970 and the aftermath

● In the 1970 elections in the then Pakistan, the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujib won all the seats
in East Pakistan and secured a majority in the proposed constituent assembly for the whole of
Pakistan.

● But the government domnated by the West Pakistani leadership refused to convene the assembly.

● Sheikh Mujib was arrested. Under the military rule of General Yahya Khan.

● The Pakistani army tried to suppress the mass movement of the Bengali people.

● Thousands were killed by the Pakistan army.

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General Yahya Khan

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Atrocities in Bangladesh during 1971 Awami League

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Atrocities over the people of East Pakistan

● This led to a large scale migration into India, creating a huge refugee problem for India.

● The government of India supported the demand of the people of East Pakistan for their
independence and helped them financially and militarily.
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Indo-Pakistan of 1971

The surrender of the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh as an
independent country.
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After 1971

● Bangladesh drafted its constitution declaring faith in secularism, democracy and socialism.

● However, in 1975 Sheikh Mujib got the constitution amended to shift from the parliamentary to
presidential form of government.

● He also abolished all parties except his own, the Awami League.
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Conflicts and Tensions

He was assassinated in a military uprising in August 1975.

The new military ruler, Ziaur Rahman, formed his own Bangladesh National Party and won elections in
1979.
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Assassination of Ziaur Rehman

Sheikh Mujib
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Ziaur Rehman

He was assassinated and another military take over followed under the leadership of
Lt. General H.M. Ershad.

● The people of Bangladesh soon rose in support of the demand for democracy.

● Students were in the forefront.

● Ershad was forced to allow political activity on a limited scale.

● He was later elected as President for five years.

● Mass public protests made Ershad step down in 1990.

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H.M. Ershad
A mural in Dhaka University to remember Noor Hossain who
was killed by the police during pro-democracy protests
against General Ershad in 1987. Painted on his back: “Let
Democracy be Freed” .
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Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal:

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Nepal was a Hindu kingdom in the past and then a constitutional monarchy in the modern period for
many years.

Political Parties

Demanded open and responsive system of government.

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Monarchy

With the help of the army, retained full control over the government and restricted the
expansion of democracy in Nepal.
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The king accepted the demand for a new democratic constitution in 1990, in the wake of a strong
pro-democracy movement.

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev

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However, democratic governments had a short and troubled career.

Rise of Maoist movement

They believed in armed insurrection against the monarch and the ruling elite.
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Monarchist Forces

The Democrats The Maoists

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Impact of conflict among various groups in Nepal

In 2002, the king abolished the parliament and dismissed the government, thus ending even the
limited democracy that existed in Nepal.
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Pro democratic movement of 2006

● In April 2006, there were massive, country wide, pro

democracy protests.

● The struggling pro-democracy forces achieved their first

major victory when the king was forced to restore the
House of Representatives that had been dissolved in April
2002.

● The largely non-violent movement was led by the Seven

Party Alliance (SPA), the Maoists and social activists.
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Nepal and Democracy

● Nepal has undergone a unique moment in its history because it formed a constituent assembly to
draft the constitution for Nepal.

● Some sections in Nepal thought that a nominal monarchy was necessary for Nepal to retain its link
with the past.

● The Maoist groups agreed to suspend armed struggle. They wanted the constitution to include the
radical programmes of social and economic restructuring.
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Challenges

● All the parties in the SPA did not agree with this programme.

● The Maoists and some other political groups were also deeply suspicious of the Indian government
and its role in the future of Nepal.
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➔ In 2008, Nepal became a democratic

republic after abolishing the monarchy.

➔ In 2015, it adopted a new constitution.

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Nepali president Ram Baran

Yadav
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Ethnic Conflicts and Democracy in Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka Retained democracy since its independence in 1948.

● But it faced a serious challenge, not from the military or monarchy but rather from
ethnic conflict leading to the demand for secession by one of the regions.
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Reasons for Ethnic Conflicts

● After its independence, politics in Sri Lanka was dominated by forces that represented the interest
of the majority Sinhala community.

● They were hostile to a large number of Tamils who had migrated from India to Sri Lanka and
settled there.

● This migration continued even after independence.

● The Sinhala nationalists thought that Sri Lanka should not give ‘concessions’ to the Tamils because
Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhala people only.

Impact LTTE

The neglect of Tamil concerns led to militant Tamil nationalism.

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Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

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Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

From 1983 onwards, the militant organisation, the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) has been
fighting an armed struggle with the army of Sri
Lanka and demanding ‘Tamil Eelam’ or a separate
country for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
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India-Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan problem of ethnic conflicts

The Sri Lankan problem involves people of Indian origin.

Tamil people in India wants that the Indian government should protect the interests of Tamils in Sri
Lanka.
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● The government of India has from time to time tried to negotiate with the Sri Lankan
government on the Tamil question.
● But in 1987, the government of India for the first time got directly involved in the Sri Lankan
Tamil question.

India - Sri Lanka peace accord, 1987

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Rajiv Gandhi during Sri lankan Accord

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India - Sri Lanka peace accord

● India signed an accord with Sri Lanka and sent troops to stabilise relations between the Sri
Lankan government and the Tamils.

● Eventually, the Indian Army got into a fight with the LTTE.

● The presence of Indian troops was also not liked much by the Sri Lankans.

● They saw this as an attempt by India to interfere in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.

● In 1989, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) pulled out of Sri Lanka without attaining its
objective.
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How the problem of ethnic conflicts was solved?

● The Sri Lankan crisis continued to be violent.

● However, international actors, particularly the Scandinavian countries such as Norway and
Iceland tried to bring the warring groups back to negotiations.

● Finally, the armed conflict came to an end, as the LTTE was vanquished in 2009.
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The cartoon depicts the

dilemma of the Sri Lankan
leadership in trying to
balance Sinhala hardliners or
the Lion and Tamil militants
or the Tiger while negotiating
peace.
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Peculiarities in the democracy of Sri lanka

● In spite of the conflict, Sri Lanka has registered considerable economic growth and recorded high
levels of human development.

● Sri Lanka was one of the first developing countries to successfully control the rate of growth of
population, the first country in the region to liberalise the economy.

● It has had the highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for many years right through the
civil war.

● Despite the ravages of internal conflict, it has maintained a democratic political system.
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India-Pakistan Conflicts:

Areas of conflict in the international relations in this region.

Understand the under current of this statement.

Given the position of India in this region, most of these conflicts involve India.

The most salient and overwhelming of these conflicts is, of course, the one between India and
Pakistan.
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Areas of conflict between India-Pakistan

● Kashmir Issue

● Acquisition of arms

● Interference in the internal issue

● Sharing of water

● Border disputes
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India V/S Pakistan

Conflict over the fate of Kashmir.

● The Pakistani government claimed that Kashmir belonged to it.

● Wars between India and Pakistan in 1947-48 and 1965 failed to settle the matter.

● The 1947 - 48 war resulted in the division of the province into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the
Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir divided by the Line of Control.

● In 1971, India won a decisive war against Pakistan but the Kashmir issue remained unsettled.
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India’s conflict with Pakistan is also over strategic issues like the control of the Siachen glacier and
over acquisition of arms.

● The arms race between the two countries assumed a new character with both states acquiring
nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver such arms against each other in the 1990s.

● In 1998, India conducted nuclear explosion in Pokaran.

● Pakistan responded within a few days by carrying out nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills.

● Since then India and Pakistan seem to have built a military relationship in which the possibility
of a direct and full-scale war has declined.
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➔ Both the governments are suspicious of each other regarding the matters of interference in
internal affairs.
India’s stand

● The Indian government has blamed the Pakistan government for using a strategy of low-key
violence by helping the Kashmiri militants with arms, training, money and protection to carry out
terrorist strikes against India.

● The Indian government also believes that Pakistan had aided the pro Khalistani militants with
arms and ammunitions during the period 1985-1995.

● Its spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is alleged to be involved in various anti-India
campaigns in India’s northeast, operating secretly through Bangladesh and Nepal.
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Pakistan’s Stand

The government of Pakistan, in turn, blames the Indian government and its security agencies
for fomenting trouble in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan.
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➔ India and Pakistan also have had problems over the sharing of river waters.

● Until 1960, they were locked in a fierce argument over the use of the rivers of the Indus basin.

● Eventually, in 1960, with the help of the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed the Indus
Waters Treaty which has survived to this day in spite of various military conflicts in which the
two countries have been involved.

● There are still some minor differences about the interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty and
the use of the river waters.
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Border Disputes

● The two countries are not in agreement over the demarcation line in Sir Creek in the Rann of
Kutch.

● The dispute seems minor, but there is an underlying worry that how the dispute is settled may
have an impact on the control of sea resources in the area adjoining Sir Creek.

● India and Pakistan are holding negotiations on all these issues.

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A view of the current phase of

the Indo-Pak negotiations
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India and its other Neighbours:

India - Bangladesh

The governments of India and bangladesh have had differences over several issues and had different
stands on.

● Sharing of water

● Illegal migration

● Border issues

● Anti-India religious fundamentalism

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Indian government’s stand V/S Bangladesh government’s stand

● INDIA
The * government has been unhappy with
Indian
● Bangladeshi governments have felt
Bangladesh’s denial of illegal immigration to
that the Indian government
India.
behaves like a regional bully over
● Its support for anti-Indian Islamic *
fundamentalist
BANGLADESH
groups. the sharing of river waters.
● Bangladesh’s refusal to allow Indian troops to ● Encouraging rebellion in the
move through its territory to northeastern India, Chittagong Hill Tracts.
and its decision not to export natural gas to India ● Trying to extract its natural gas and
or allow Myanmar to do so through Bangladeshi being unfair in trade.
territory.
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Despite their differences, India and Bangladesh do cooperate on many issues.

● Economic relations have improved considerably in the last 20 years.

● Bangladesh is a part of India’s Look East (Act East since 2014) policy that wants to link up with
Southeast Asia via Myanmar.

● On disaster management and environmental issues, the two states have cooperated regularly.

● In 2015, they exchanged certain enclaves.

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India-Nepal

Special about India-Nepal relationship.

A treaty between the two countries allows the citizens of the two countries to travel and work in the
other country without visas and passports.
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Area of conflict between India and Nepal

● Despite this special relationship, the governments of the two countries have had trade related
disputes in the past.

● The Indian government has often expressed displeasure at the warm relationship between Nepal
and China and at the Nepal government’s inaction against anti India elements.

● Indian security agencies see the Maoist movement in Nepal as a growing security threat, given the
rise of Naxalite groups in various Indian states from Bihar in the north to Andhra Pradesh in the
south.

● Many leaders and citizens in Nepal think that the Indian government interferes in its internal
affairs, has designs on its river waters and hydro-electricity, and prevents Nepal, a landlocked
country, from getting easier access to the sea through Indian territory.
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Conclusion

● Nevertheless, Indo-Nepal relations are fairly stable and peaceful.

● Despite differences, trade, scientific cooperation, common natural resources, electricity

generation and interlocking water management grids hold the two countries together.

● There is a hope that the consolidation of democracy in Nepal will lead to improvements in the
ties between the two countries.
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India and Sri Lanka

● The difficulties in the relationship between the governments of India and Sri Lanka are mostly
over ethnic conflict in the island nation.
● Indian leaders and citizens find it impossible to remain neutral when Tamils are politically
unhappy and are being killed.
● After the military intervention in 1987, the Indian government now prefers a policy of
disengagement vis-à-vis Sri Lanka’s internal troubles.
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Areas of cooperation

● India signed a free trade agreement with Sri Lanka, which strengthened relations between two
countries.

● India’s help in post-tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka has also brought the two countries closer.
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India and Bhutan

● India enjoys a very special relationship with Bhutan too and does not have any major conflict
with the Bhutanese government.

● The efforts made by the Bhutanese monarch to weed out the guerrillas and militants from
northeastern India that operate in his country have been helpful to India.

● India is involved in big hydroelectric projects in Bhutan and remains the Himalayan kingdom’s
biggest source of development aid.
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India - Maldives

● India’s ties with the Maldives remain warm and cordial.

● In November 1988, when some Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka attacked the Maldives, the
Indian air force and navy reacted quickly to the Maldives’ request to help stop the invasion.

● India has also contributed towards the island’s economic development, tourism and fisheries.
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Analyse the topic

● You may have noticed that India has various problems with its smaller neighbours in the region.

Given its size and power, they are bound to be suspicious of India’s intentions.

● The Indian government, on the other hand, often feels exploited by its neighbours.
● It does not like the political instability in these countries, fearing it can help outside powers to
gain influence in the region.
● The smaller countries fear that India wants to be a regionally-dominant power.
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Not all conflicts in South Asia are between India and its neighbours.

● Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Bangladesh and Myanmar, have had disagreements in the past
over the migration of ethnic Nepalese into Bhutan and the Rohingyas into Myanmar.

● Bangladesh and Nepal have had some differences over the future of the Himalayan river
waters.
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The major conflicts and differences, though, are between India and the others, partly because of the
geography of the region, in which India is located centrally and is therefore the only country that
borders the others.
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What does this cartoon tell you about

the role of India and Pakistan in the
process of regional cooperation in
South Asia?
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Peace and Cooperation:

In spite of the many conflicts, the states of South Asia recognise the importance of cooperation and
friendly relationship, among themselves.
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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

● (SAARC) is a major regional initiative by the South Asian states to evolve cooperation through
multilateral means.

● It began in 1985.

● SAARC members signed the South Asian Free Trade (SAFTA) agreement which promised the
formation of a free trade zone for the whole of South Asia.
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SAARC - Expectations and Outcomes

● A new chapter of peace and cooperation might evolve in South Asia if all the countries in the
region allow free trade across the borders.

● This is the spirit behind the idea of SAFTA.

● The Agreement was signed in 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2006.

● SAFTA aims at lowering trade tariffs.

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Outcomes

● Some of our neighbours fear that SAFTA is a way for India to ‘invade’ their markets and to
influence their societies and politics through commercial ventures and a commercial presence in
their countries.

● India thinks that there are real economic benefits for all from SAFTA and that a region that
trades more freely will be able to cooperate better on political issues.

● Some in India think that SAFTA is not worth the trouble since India already has bilateral
agreements with Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
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Peace and Cooperation:

The two cartoons, one from India and the other from
Pakistan, interpret the role of two key players who
are also interested in the region. Do you notice any
commonality between their perspectives?
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India and Pakistan : Peace and Cooperation

● Although India-Pakistan relations seem to be a story of endemic conflict and violence, there have
been a series of efforts to manage tensions and build peace.

● The two countries have agreed to undertake confidence building measures to reduce the risk of
war.

● Social activists and prominent personalities have collaborated to create an atmosphere of

friendship among the people of both countries.
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● Leaders have met at summits to understand each other better and to find solutions to the major
problems between the two neighbours.

● A number of bus routes have been opened up between the two countries.

● Trade between the two parts of Punjab has increased substantially in the last five years. Visas
have been more easily given.
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Delhi-Lahore Friendship Bus Service

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Role of outside power in this region

China and the United States remain key players in South Asian politics.
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Role of China

● Sino-Indian relations have improved significantly in the last ten years, but China’s strategic
partnership with Pakistan remains a major irritant.

● The demands of development and globalisation have brought the two Asian giants closer, and
their economic ties have multiplied rapidly since 1991.
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Role of America

● American involvement in South Asia has rapidly increased after the Cold War.

● The US has had good relations with both India and Pakistan since the end of the Cold War and
increasingly works as a moderator in India-Pakistan relations.

● Economic reforms and liberal economic policies in both countries have greatly increased the
depth of American participation in the region.

● The large South Asian diasporas in the US and the huge size of the population and markets of
the region also give America an added stake in the future of regional security and peace.
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Conclusion

Whether South Asia will continue to be known as a conflict prone zone or

will evolve into a regional bloc with some common cultural features and
trade interests will depend more on the people and the governments of the
region than any other outside power.