Better neighbourhood

India's relations with South Asia are heading north

Without too much fanfare and without too many expectations, India’s relations with all its South Asian neighbours seem to be gradually improving. And, while the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains a tinder box, the situation in the region may be becoming more manageable as options shrink for Pakistan’s troublemakers. Consider the facts. Despite all the provocations and ups and downs, the India-Pakistan relationship has been moving forward from one milestone to another and is on the verge of crossing a psychologically important milestone, namely Pakistan extending to India the “most favoured nation” (MFN) status. This may not mean much in material terms and certainly is no big deal given that Pakistan has been obliged to do so as part of its own commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But so far it has merrily flouted WTO discipline on the grounds of national security. The fact that it is today willing to put the past behind it and move forward on MFN means there is a change of mood, which is a step forward. The India-Afghanistan strategic partnership agreement is also a step forward and the international community has finally come to terms with the fact that India has to play a role in Afghanistan’s normalisation.

In the case of Bangladesh the relationship has entered a new phase with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s last visit. Even though the visit fell short of expectations, and was badly handled on the political side at home, it nevertheless marked an important step forward. Sri Lanka does not figure much in the Indian media these days, even though the internal human rights situation there is appalling, but the bilateral relationship with India is on even keel, even though Sri Lanka, like most of India’s neighbours, tries to use the China card occasionally to make a point. Both Maldives and Bhutan have had a problem-free relationship with India and so do not worry anyone in New Delhi.

Nepal has been a source of concern for a long time now and its myopic political leadership has made a hobby of India-bashing and China-wooing. Perhaps India did not handle this relationship very smartly, or maybe it did, but here too things are improving, as the visit this week of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai shows. Finally, there is Myanmar. Not formally a part of “South Asia” as defined by diplomats but very much a part of India’s neighbourhood. Recent developments in Myanmar have helped improve India-Myanmar relations and these are set to strengthen further. All of this is good news both for India and for the region as a whole. So why does the story not get better play in the media, in the region and globally? Perhaps because no one is making the point. This should be the agenda for the forthcoming summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).