The civil war in Pakistan in 1971 and the subsequent break-up and the emergence of Bangladesh wrought important changes in the political map of the South Asian Subcontinent. In the context of India's friendship with Bangladesh during the war and the break between former East and West Pakistan, it was uncertain whether interstate relations on the subcontinent would be marked by any significant departure from the pre-1971 bitterness between India and Pakistan and whether a more co-operative relationship would ensue. The present study makes an attempt to examine how far the elements of convergence and divergence have really worked in the post-Bangladesh subcontinent. Thus it sets out to identify the roots of conflict and their impact upon the relations between India and Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and Bangladesh and Pakistan. An attempt has also been made to show how far Great Power interests and rivalries contribute to either co-operation or conflictual relations among the nations of the region. The study has been organized in five chapters with a conclusion summing up the major findings. It has been found that in the post-1971 subcontinent there has been a change in the pattern of relations among India, Pakistan and Bangladesh but not always to the extent or in the direction that had been expected and forecast. There has been some reduction of tension between India and Pakistan, but the potential for conflict between them is far from eliminated. India-Bangladesh relations, after a phase of extreme friendliness, have now reached a stage of caution and at times even muted hostility. The Great Power involvement has not greatly changed. Moscow maintains its traditional closer links with New Delhi while maintaining connections with Islamabad. China has its closest link with Pakistan and has recently recognized and established links with Bangladesh where its influence will increasingly grow. The United States maintains as part of its global policy a close link with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China providing tactical support to its allies against the Soviet Union even though this offends New Delhi.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:592661 |
| Date | January 1976 |
| Creators | Khan, Ataur Rahman |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU435182 |
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