INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS

History and Civics Chapter – 22

Brief Definition
Imperialism: It is the system in which one country controls other countries, often after defeating them in
a war.

Colonialism: It is the practice by which a powerful country controls another country or other countries.

Non-alignment is a policy of not joining either of the two power blocs (one lead by the USA and the other
by the former USSR) and following an independent foreign policy without any interference from the super
powers.

Panchsheel forms the core of Indian foreign policy and aims at mutual respect for each other’s territorial
integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful
coexistence among nations.

SAARC is the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation formed in 1985 to promote regional
cooperation among the member countries.

Bilateral means involving two groups of people or two countries.

I Fill in the blanks: -

1. India became independent on 15th August 1947.
2. In a nuclear age the alternative to peaceful coexistence is Mutual destruction.
3. India tries to maintain friendly relations with its neighbours by following the principles of
Panchsheel.
4. SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
5. SAVE stands for SAARC Audio-Visual Exchange.
6. SAPTA stands for South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement
7. SAFTA stands for South Asian Free Trade Area.
8. ASEAN stands for Association of South-East Asian Nation.
9. The first prime minister of independent India and the chief architect of Indian Foreign policy was
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
10. India is the largest among the SAARC countries and shares a common border with most of the
member states.
11. Ahimsa or non-violence was the cardinal principle of Ashoka’s administration.
12. SAARC was established in 1985 at Dhaka.
13. Afghanistan was the eighth member who became part of the SAARC.
14. SAVE was launched in November 1987.
15. SAPTA was signed in April 1993 while SAFTA was signed in January 2004.
16. The secretariat of SAARC is located in Katmandu in Nepal.
17. ASEAN was established on 8th August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original countries –
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
II Match the following: -
Column A Column B
1.SAARC (a) 1987 [3]
2. South Asian Games (b) Kathmandu [1]
3. SAVE (c) 2004 [5]
4. SAPTA (d) every 2 years [2]
5. SAFTA (e) 1993 [4]

III Choose the correct answer: -

1. India’s closest neighbour neat its coastline in the south is Sri Lanka/ Maldives/ Indonesia.
2. The secretariat of the SAARC are located in Dhaka/ Kathmandu/ Delhi.
3. Afghanistan/ Maldives/ Nepal became the eighth member of SAARC in 2007.
4. The South Asian Games are held annually/ every 2 years/ every 4 years to promote friendship and
goodwill among member states.
5. ASEAN was established in 1967 at Dhaka/ Bangkok/ Kathmandu.

IV State whether the following are true or false:

1. Mahatma Gandhi was the first prime minister of independent India. False
2. India follows a policy of peaceful coexistence, friendship and cooperation with its neighbours.
True
3. India’s basic concern, like that of every nation, is to ensure the unity of the country and the
integrity of its borders. True
4. SAFTA was created to make people aware of each other’s culture within the south Asian region.
False
5. India has tried to solve problems peacefully through bilateral negotiations. True

V Answer the following questions in one or two words/sentences.

1. What is the significance of 26th January 1950 in Indian history?
Ans. 26th January 1950 is very important in Indian history because India became a sovereign democratic
republic on this day.

2. What was the cardinal principle of Ashoka’s administration in the Ancient Period?
Ans. The cardinal principle of Ashoka’s administration in the ancient period was ahimsa or nonviolence.
It was Mahatma Gandhi’s chief instrument of opposition to British rule during the national
movement.

3. Why are South Asian Games organized?

Ans. South Asian Games are organized to promote friendship and goodwill among the member countries
through sports.

4. Why was SAVE launched?

Ans. In order to promote cultural ties, the SAVE programme was launched to make people aware of each
other’s culture and also to make them conscious of the problems and needs of the region.

5. What is the full form of ASEAN?

Ans. The full form of ASEAN is the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
6. Name any one member country of ASEAN that India has helped in the task of reconstruction
and economic development.
Ans. India has extended its support to the people of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and has helped them
in the task of reconstruction and economic development.

VI Questions and Answers: -

1. State the principles on the basis of which India’s foreign policy was defined after
independence.
Ans. India foreign policy is based on the principles defined by the Indian government after independence:
- Promotion of world peace.
- Freedom of all nations and abolition of imperialism and colonialism
- Racial equality
- Non-alignment and peaceful coexistence.

2. India’s foreign policy is a logical extension of a historical tradition. Explain.

Ans. Ahimsa or non-violence was the cardinal principle of Ashoka’s administration in the Ancient
period; it was Mahatma Gandhi’s chief instrument of opposition to British rule during the national
movement. A policy of peaceful coexistence in post-independent India is, therefore, a logical
extension of a historical tradition.

3. Why is it imperative to follow a peaceful foreign policy in the nuclear age?

Ans. In a nuclear age, the alternative to peaceful coexistence is mutual destruction. Hence, a policy of
peace is an urgent necessity and of prime importance. The development of science and technology
has reduced the world from a ‘global village’ to an ‘extended family”. Distance is no longer
measured in terms of kilometres but in jet hours. Violence in any part of the world can snowball
into a violent global conflict.

4. Name any six close neighbours of India on the land frontier.

Ans. Six close neighbours of India on the land frontier are Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma). A close neighbour neat its coastline is Sri Lanka in the south.

5. How did Nehru seek to create a zone of peace in South Asia? What policies did successive
governments in India follow in pursuance of Nehru’s policy?
Ans. Nehru wanted to create a zone of peace in South Asia through mutual cooperation and understanding
between the developing nations of the region. In pursuance of Nehru’s policy of maintaining peace
in Asia, successive governments of India have, by and large, followed a policy of non-interference
in the affairs of neighbouring countries. They have also tried to maintain friendly relations with
their neighbours by adopting five principles known as Panchsheel.

6. State the five principles of Panchsheel.

Ans. The five principles of Panchsheel are:
- Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity.
- Non-aggression
- Non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
- Equality and mutual benefits
- Peaceful coexistence

7. Name the eight member nations of SAARC.

Ans. The member nations of SAARC are
(i)India (ii)Pakistan (iii)Bhutan (iv)Bangladesh (v)Sri Lanka
(vi)Maldives (vii)Nepal (viii)Afghanistan
8. Mention three aims of SAARC.
Ans. The aims of SAARC are
- To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and improve their quality of life
- To increase the pace of economic growth
- To promote social progress and cultural development

9. State the objectives of the following SAARC initiatives:

(i) SAVE: Its objective is to promote cultural ties by making people aware of each other’s culture
and also to make them conscious of the problems and needs of the region.
(ii) SAPTA: Its objective is to facilitate and promote regional economic cooperation among member
states.
(iii) SAFTA: Its objective is to create a free trade area within the South Asian region.

10. State the objectives of ASEAN.

Ans. The objectives of ASEAN are to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the regions. It also aims to promote regional peace and stability in the region,
respecting principles of justice and rule of law in the region and adhering to the principles of the
UN.

11. What is a foreign policy?

Ans. The foreign policy of a nation is primarily based on safeguarding its own security and ensuring its
progress because economic and social development is possible only under conditions of peace and
stability, nationally as well as internationally.