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OVERVIEW
Let us shift our gaze from the larger
global developments in the post-Cold
War era to developments in our own
region, South Asia. When India and
Pakistan joined the club of nuclear
powers, this region suddenly
became the focus of global attention.
The focus was, of course, on 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 and
resource sharing. This makes the
region very turbulent. 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. In this chapter, we try to
understand the nature of conflict
and cooperation among different
countries of the region. Since much
of this is rooted in or conditioned by
the domestic politics of these
countries, we first introduce the
region and the domestic politics of Source: Subhas Rai’s adaptation of ‘Liberty Leading the
some of the big countries in the People’, painted by Eugene Delacroix in 1830. Courtesy of
Himal Southasian, (January 2007) The Southasia Trust, Nepal
region.
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SDG 4.6 SDG 4.1 SDG 8.1 SDG 3.2 SDG 3.3 SDG 1.1
SDG 3 Adult literacy Gross GDP per Infant mortality TB cases Population living below
Life expectancy rate (% ages enrolment ratio capita (2011 rate (per 1,000 (per 100,000 income poverty line (%)
at birth (years) 15 and older) (Secondary) PPP $) live births) people) PPP $1.90 a day HDI
Countries 2017 2006-2016 2012-2017 2017 2016 2016 2006-2016 Rank
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they began protests against the arrested. Under the military rule
unfair treatment meted out to the of General Yahya Khan, the
Bengali culture and language. They Pakistani army tried to suppress
also demanded fair representation the mass movement of the Bengali
in administration and a fair share people. Thousands were killed by
in political power. Sheikh Mujib- the Pakistan army. This led to a
ur Rahman led the popular large scale migration into India,
struggle against West Pakistani
creating a huge refugee problem
domination. He demanded
for India. The government of India
autonomy for the eastern region.
supported the demand of the
In the 1970 elections in the then
people of East Pakistan for their
Pakistan, the Awami League led by
Sheikh Mujib won all the seats in independence and helped them
East Pakistan and secured a financially and militarily. This
majority in the proposed resulted in a war between India
constituent assembly for the whole and Pakistan in December 1971
of Pakistan. But the government that ended in the surrender of the
dominated by the West Pakistani Pakistani forces in East Pakistan
leadership refused to convene the and the formation of Bangladesh
assembly. Sheikh Mujib was as an independent country.
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” . Photo credit: Shahidul Alam/ Drik
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