IND v/s PAK
The relation that India shares with Pakistan have seen many leaps and bounds. With continued violence in Kashmir and a heightened threat of terrorist activity by Pakistan-based militant groups, tensions and concerns over a serious military confrontation between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan remain high all time. India and Pakistan have already fought two wars since independence that were partially or completely over the sovereignty of the territory.
Over a few years, the relation has worsened. Several terrorist attacks in continuation by Pakistan sponsored terrorists has taken place among which Pathankot, Uri, Pulwama are to name a few. The death of jawans in terror attacks has risen 106 percent in Jammu and Kashmir in the past five years, according to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal. The number of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir alone has jumped 177 percent in the past five years, according to a written reply submitted by Minister of State for Home Affairs in Lok Sabha on February 2019. A rising trend was also observed in the number of people who were killed in terrorism-related activities in Jammu & Kashmir in these five years. A total of 1,315 people were killed in the state between 2014 and 2018 due to terrorism. More than 700 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir over the last three years, the Home Ministry said in June 2019.
Pakistan doesn't stop itself from violating ceasefire across the border or for that matter, sending terrorists to carry out harm in India and to its civilians. India at many forefronts have isolated Pakistan and is continuing doing so.
IND v/s Nepal
The current pandemic may have blurred international boundaries and shrunk the world into one big infirmary, but not so much for Nepal, one of India’s neighbors and closest allies for decades. In fact, the Himalayan country has touched off a raw nerve by deciding to publish new maps which will include areas of dispute with India. The Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Oli declared that the Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian. This round of acrimony began at the Federal Parliament of Nepal recently where the country’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari made the announcement about the new maps that will incorporate all the disputed territories: Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh. The Lipulekh Pass is claimed by Nepal based on the Treaty of Sugauli it entered with the British colonial rulers to define its western border with India. Kathmandu also claims the highly strategic areas of Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, although Indian troops have been deployed there since New Delhi fought a war with China in 1962.
Speaking in the Parliament, Oli held India responsible for the spread of COVID19 in Nepal and said the infection was more lethal amongst the people coming from the neighboring country. He said that those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in people from India without proper testing. It has become very difficult to contain Covid-19 due to the flow of people, he added.
In the same speech, Oli reiterated his country’s claim on Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapanias after his cabinet endorsed a new map showing parts of India under its territory. While answering a question by the parliamentarians regarding the issue, Oli said that diplomatic efforts will be made to bring back the territories. He also said that the issue of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani won’t be covered up, a conclusion will be drawn regarding it. He said Nepal won’t let this issue fade out and it will be sorted out through diplomatic talks making concrete efforts and the territories will be reclaimed.
IND v/s China–India relations, also called Sino-Indo relations or Indian-Chinese relations has been cordial, there have been border disputes. The modern relationship began in 1950 when India was amongst the first countries to end formal ties with China (Taiwan) and recognize the People's Republic of China as the legitimate government of Mainland China. China and India are the two most populous countries and fastest growing major economies in the world. Growth in diplomatic and economic influence has increased the significance of their bilateral relationship.
The unprecedented high levels of tension at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh on the disputed India-China border, where Chinese soldiers have moved into Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), has raised questions about the Chinese motives for this action.
The Chinese learned from the public handling of the Doklam crisis. They thought India would be quick to brief the media, so they did it first and continued to do so. India was calm and measured, calling for discussions and negotiations whereas China is trying to avoid that kind of situation. Quiet diplomacy has space to produce results in these kinds of situations. China’s actions are hard to decipher, especially in the absence of any authoritative statements from Beijing.
On both sides, infrastructure development is going on, and we have caught up in the last 7-8 years in Ladakh in a big way, with improved access to the LAC. Also, there are different perceptions of the LAC on both sides. These two things together, where the Chinese are concerned that we have better access to the frontier and their LAC is not the same as ours, has led to the situation in Galwan.
There is still some lack of clarity about the exact ground situation in the Galwan Valley region of eastern Ladakh. But there is little doubt that Chinese soldiers have built dozens of new fortifications and bunkers after physically occupying an almost 8-km stretch of what India considers its territory along the Pangong Tso since early-May.
Indian Army is now holding the area near PP-14 in the Galwan Valley region, which was the location of the bloody skirmish that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and 76 injured on June 15. After the clash, the Army said that the Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15-16 June.
Conclusion
The only need of the hour of our Indian government is to look within and reflect where did we actually fail: intelligence reports, foreign policy or diplomatic ties?
We also need to reconsider that not only visiting foreign countries and hosting the Prime Ministers or Presidents of other Countries will help build a better foreign policy but to also work on organizational structure and the way we carry out our deals and signs and treaties with those countries so that we along with them continue to flourish in various aspects of development.
Written by: Sumit Singh