Tag: india’s international relations

Shimla agreement was signed by Indian PM Indira Gandhi and Pakistan President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 2nd July 1971. It was a comprehensive blue print for maintaining good neighborly relations. Moreover, it brought about the withdrawal of troops and the exchange of prisoners of war. Emphasis was on maintaining each other's territorial integrity, sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs and renounce hostile propaganda. 

The Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 was fought with the backdrop of international politics of the United States. US Navy task force fleet of US 7th fleet was deployed in the Bay of Bengal by the President Nixon administration in December 1971. It was a show of force by the USA in support of Pakistan. As the Soviet Union was aligned with India, the Indo-Pakistani war threatened to spread beyond the borders of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 

India has fought four wars with Pakistan which are as follows: 

India played a major role in the independence of Bangladesh in the war fought in 1971. India-Bangladesh shares a friendly relation and Bangladesh is surrounded by Indian territory and shares 54 rivers with India. The Ganga run through the North Indian States and at the end of the downstream it enters Bangladesh. The major area of dispute between India and Bangladesh is India's construction and operation at Farakka Bridge. The aim of construction of the Farakka Barrage was to increase the lean period flow of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly branch of Ganga to increase the water depth at the Kolkata port which was threatened by siltation to facilitate the navigators. The inadequacy of water during lean season to meet the demand is the major root cause of conflict. The Bangladesh government feels that the reduction in flow adversely impacted the agriculture, industry, and ecology in the basin areas.