This article is written by Arush Mittal from Hidayatullah National Law University. This is an exhaustive article which deals with the Neighbour-first Policy and the significance it holds with the other countries.

Introduction

India shares its boundary with nations that vary in strength, resources, and size that includes Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. India has not really maintained a strong and stable relationship with the neighbouring countries. Narendra Modi had taken an oath as the Prime Minister of India in 2014 and he had a clear intention to strengthen India’s ties with the neighbouring countries. 

He had invited the head of the South Asian countries at the time of his oath and on the second day of his office, he had bilateral talks with the heads which was termed as a mini SAARC summit. The mini SAARC summit was in relation to India’s emphasis on increasing cooperation among the neighbouring countries. Since Narendra Modi has assumed office, he has made extensive engagements, discussions, and deliberations at the international level with the other countries. 

The neighbourhood-first policy involves the relationship of India with the South Asian countries and hence this policy is also called the South Asian Foreign Policy. This article deals with this policy and states its significance with the neighbouring countries.

Neighbourhood-first Policy and its implications

The neighbourhood-first policy focuses on a diplomatic approach. Top priority should be given to the relations of India with its neighbouring countries. India must resolve all the existing differences with its neighbours to develop strong relations with these countries. Since the inauguration of his post as the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, within 2 years had travelled to a lot of neighbouring countries as it was necessary to improve the ties with these countries. This policy also includes a reduction in the influence of China in the South-Asian countries.

Need for the Policy

Due to certain historical reasons, the external boundaries of India still have demarcation issues with other countries. Apart from international political issues, there have been border disputes which need to be taken care of. China is laying certain claims on the territories on which it is not possible to agree. 

There is a serious problem that is faced by the foreign policy establishment that needs to be addressed. There is contact between the political parties and their leaders with the other side of the border. Hence, the neighbour policy of India towards other nations is more like the contact between the party in power and the neighbouring countries. When there is a change in the government, it leads to a drastic change in the policy, making it difficult for a long term approach.

A constant nurturing and attention is needed to maintain a healthy relationship with the neighbouring countries. India meets the neighbouring countries on the sidelines of the multilateral conferences, but it is necessary to have more visits to these countries. The frequent visits would provide a momentum to the relationship among the neighbouring countries and also help to address the contentious issues.

Neighbouring Countries

An important instrument of diplomacy is sharing what you have with the other countries. India has extended its assistance to the other nations despite having limited resources. India has started a few project schemes that are going on successfully in Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The areas of focus in this scheme include primary health, education, infrastructure, rural roads, etc. These kinds of schemes have generated goodwill for India in the neighbouring countries and more of such policies should be adopted by India to improve its relationship with these countries.

P.M. Narendra Modi’s successful visit to the South-Asian countries marked the beginning of the neighbourhood-first policy. These nations include the following:

Afghanistan

The neighbourhood-first policy has been a success in the country of Afghanistan. India has friendly and warm relations with Afghanistan. This country was in turmoil for about 40 years because of certain external interferences and India worked with the successive governments to provide help to Afghanistan. 

P.M. Narendra Modi’s Visit

Ashraf Ghani was elected as the president of Afghanistan in September 2015 and hence the country had a change in its political leadership. Ashraf Ghani had visited India for the first time as the president in April 2015. Narendra Modi went to visit Afghanistan in December 2015 and inaugurated the Afghan Parliament building which was made with the help of India. Modi had visited Afghanistan again in June 2016 to inaugurate the Salma Dam in Herat. India has helped in the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan with the financial aid of $2 billion where Delhi has donated the most among all the regional countries.

Support for India

Ashraf Ghani was not interested in relying on Pakistan for trade as he wanted to corrode Pakistan’s influence over the Afghani territory by improving its relationship with India. Kabul and New Delhi have made a decision to improve their transport connection through the Chabahar Port that is located in Iran. This connection is likely to enhance the trade between Iran, Afghanistan, and India at the time when Islamabad is denying New Delhi the transit access to carry on trade. The leader of Afghanistan, on this issue, has even threatened Islamabad. Afghanistan said that if Afghanistan is not allowed to trade with India through the Wagah-Attari because of Islamabad, then it would go to the extent of blocking the access of Pakistan to Central Asia.

Growing Relationship

India has reached the roads and the railway network of Central Asia through its partner, Afghanistan. India also has the potential to shape schemes and events that would be contrary to the Chinese and Pakistani influence. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had recently launched the first phase of the Chabahar port. This was an important milestone that India had achieved as a foreign policy that had come after India had sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar port.

Since Pakistan had denied the access of routes through its territory, Afghanistan and India had launched an air freight corridor recently. In December 2016, when P.M Narendra Modi had met Ghani in Amritsar at the Asia Conference, the decision to establish an air cargo for the transit of goods was taken by them. This air corridor gives a boost to the trade that takes place between these countries, helps the students of Afghanistan who seek to pursue studies in India, and also provides for the patients of Afghanistan that seek treatment in India. 

P.M. Narendra Modi has given another shot at the diplomatic arm by resolving the Afghan conflict with the help of the United States that was also reflected in the recently announced South Asia Policy.

Pakistan

When P.M Narendra Modi was returning back to India when he had visited Afghanistan in December 2015, he had paid a surprise visit to Pakistan and held a meeting in Lahore with Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistani counterpart. This visit had not only caused an enthusiasm in the public opinion but also proved to affect the relationship between these countries in a positive way and improve the ties among them a little. 

Relationship with Pakistan

India has had a difficult relationship with Pakistan since the countries were separated. The government that gets elected in Pakistan does not deal with the defense and foreign matters, the army has the final say on matters regarding this. In 1997, India and Pakistan had agreed to a composite dialogue but it did not progress as the army did not want it to progress. India has tried a lot of goodwill gestures for Pakistan but in return, India gets army organized terrorist attacks. The Pakistani army still remembers the humiliation of 1971 and thus does not want to improve its relationship with India because it may raise questions on their integrity. 

Matter of concern

The sponsored terrorism in Pakistan is the reason for destabilizing Afghanistan. Pakistan has become a matter of concern because of its nuclear links with India’s other neighbour and the growing defense. Pakistan is being helped by China for various nuclear programs that pose a threat to India.

Since the terror attack on Pathankot, the relationship that existed between the two countries has hit a dead end. The meetings and talks that used to take place between Ajit Doval (National Security Advisor of India) and Naseer Khan Janua (Pakistani counterpart) had completely stopped. There have been reports of frequent violations against the ceasefire at the Line of Control that have also been a reason for the termination of talks. The relationship has never been the same after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

Need to loosen the tension

The policy of Modi’s government to isolate Pakistan diplomatically has failed as Islamabad has diplomatically started to engage with Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing. A deadlock in the relations that India and Pakistan are facing can only be removed if a big power intervenes. 

It is very important for India and Pakistan to loosen the tension amongst themselves as they are the neighbouring countries that were, in fact, the same country in the past. Due to this strained relationship, India and Pakistan do not carry out meets and exercises with each other.

Nepal

P.M. Narendra Modi had initially reached Nepal in 2014 to look towards developing a healthy relationship with Nepal and he did manage to capture the imagination of the policymakers and the people of Nepal. The bilateral talks had focused on reviewing the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950, hydro-electricity projects in Nepal that would be funded by India, enhancing the contact of people, and also certain other infrastructure projects.

P.M. Narendra Modi’s visit

P.M. Narendra Modi had taken part in the puja that took place at the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath. In this puja, Modi had donated Rs. 25 Crore, and this gesture was appreciated by the head priest of that temple, Mool Bhatta Ganesh Bhatta. Keeping in mind the controversy of appointing an Indian priest at a Nepali temple, Modi said that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of Nepal. 

P.M. Narendra Modi was the first Indian PM to visit Nepal after 17 years. Later, India and Nepal had signed the Power Trade Agreement which would allow the public and private sectors of India to invest in the development of hydropower development of Nepal as well as future trade and transmission of power to India. 

In 2015, Nepal had experienced a devastating earthquake that caused the destruction of life as well as property. India did not stand back to provide with the much-needed financial assistance in the construction of post-earthquake and even carried out extensive rescue operations.

Aberration

This healthy relationship had taken a turn when a new constitution was announced in Nepal. The new constitution had adversely affected the Madhesi people of the Terai region in Nepal. The Madhesis have familial connections in India in states of Up and Bihar. They have been suppressed and denied a lot of equal rights. The Constitution in 2007 of Nepal had addressed some of their issues but the Constitution of 2015 of Nepal rolled back a lot of those provisions resulting in unrest. 

The Madhesi people protested and stopped the supplies of essentials that were coming from India which resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Nepal had blamed India for this economic blockade and to balance the power of India that it had over Nepal by playing the ‘China card’. The situation got a lot worse in May 2016 when Nepal crossed their limits and cancelled the visit of Bidhya Devi( President of Nepal) to India and also called off their ambassador in New Delhi. This had turned a healthy relationship into a frosty one. Recently, the left coalition has clinched the parliamentary elections and this is supposed to bring several challenges for India. 

Need to resolve disputes

The leverage that India had over Nepal in the internal politics has gone down a notch because of the rise of opinion makers and politicians in Nepal. There was a rise in these diplomats due to the conflicting priorities and inconsistent policies. China is willing to fill the void. Nepal has even signed the BRI (Belt and Road initiative) plan that would enhance the communications between Nepal and China. Nepal is preferring China’s economic engagement instead of India’s neighbourhood-first policy. Therefore there is dire need to resolve all the issues that exist between India and Nepal so that the relationship between these nations stays healthy.

Maldives

One of the seven leaders of the SAARC to attend P.M. Narendra Modi’s inauguration as the Prime Minister in Delhi was the Maldivian President (Abdulla Yameen). Maldives has a strategic location in the region of the Indian Ocean and hence it plays a major role in the security of India’s maritime architecture. India also has the SAARC bilateral relationship with Maldives and hence it is important for the neighbourhood-first policy launched by Narendra Modi.

Visit of Shushma Swaraj

Shushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister had made a visit to Male, Maldives in 2014 to have discussions with Dunya Maumoon Maldivian counterpart on certain regional and bilateral issues between the two nations. This visit also reiterated on India’s commitment towards the security, stability, and prosperity of Maldives. These nations have also planned to celebrate the 50 years of the establishment of their bilateral relationship.

P.M. Narendra Modi has not visited the Maldives since he has become the Prime Minister of India. He had planned to visit the Maldives in March 2015, but this had to be cancelled as there was domestic political turbulence that had taken place in the Maldives. After a year, in April 2016, Abdulla Yameen, the President of Maldives had visited India. In this meeting, India and Maldives had signed agreements in matters concerning taxation, defense, space research, conservation of mosques, and tourism.

Crisis in Male

In December 2014, the only water treatment plant of Male had collapsed and they urged India to help them out. To help with this issue immediately, India sent heavy transporters that carried bottled water such as the Ilyushin II-76 and the C-17 Globemaster. The Indian Navy had also helped Male by sending the INS Deepak and the INS Sukanya and other ships that would produce freshwater by using the desalination plants and provide freshwater to Male. The efforts that India made to support Male at this tough situation was widely appreciated among all sections of the society in Male and even the Vice-President (Jameel Ahmed) was grateful to the Indian ambassador for such help.

China’s growing footprint

The relation between India and Maldives has been affected due to China’s footprint on this island. In 2011, China had opened an embassy at the capital of Maldives, Male. Until 2011, the embassy of China that was in Columbo had taken care of the affairs with the Maldives.

Maldives and China had signed an FTA (Free Trade Agreement) which did not have any opposition. This was China’s second FTA with a South-Asian country (after Pakistan) and Maldives’ first FTA with any country ever. In this FTA agreement, Yameen of Maldives had pledged to China that it would back China’s MSR (Maritime Silk Road) that is a part of the BRI. The agreement between China and Maldives has impacted India’s strategic backyard and aroused a lot of concerns for India. 

Sri Lanka

India and Sri Lanka had faced some stagnation despite being primary neighbours that were due to the growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka and the large scale civilian casualties that took place in the civil war of the north of that country that is Tamil dominated. The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa was invited to P.M. Narendra Modi’s inauguration at New Delhi so they could have a talk about tackling the issue of pressure from Tamil based political parties and improve their relations. 

Instances of  Chinese Intervention

One of the major concerns of India is the extreme Chinese engagement with the country such as the military presence in the strategically located ports of the country. In November 2014, Sri Lanka had allowed the Chinese nuclear-powered submarine to dock at the Colombo Port of Sri Lanka even though India expressed concerns regarding this issue. The same kind of incident took place in September 2014 when the People’s Liberation Army of China had coincided with the Indian army at the Chumar sector of the Himalayas. After these incidents, both China and Sri Lanka had clarified that these incidents were just the crew refreshment and refuelling of the submarine and nothing major.

Breakage of Pattern

The matter took a turn in 2015 when Rajapaksa was defeated in the presidential elections by Maithripala Srisena who had become the President of Sri Lanka in 2015. Modi was the first foreign leader to congratulate Srisena on 9th January, 2015 which was even before the formal announcement of the elections. 

Maithripala Srisena’s appointment as the President was expected to balance the leaning of Sri Lanka towards China as in February 2015, he chose India to be the first country for a foreign visit to start fresh bilateral relations. During this visit, there was a signing of a civil nuclear agreement between the two nations that would send a strong message to China. Three more agreements were signed during this visit that included tripartite maritime cooperation that also involved Maldives. 

P.M. Narendra Modi had visited Sri Lanka after he got an invitation from Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka in March 2015 as a two-day visit. This was the first time in 28 years that a Prime Minister had visited Sri Lanka. In May 2017, Modi had visited Sri Lanka again for inaugurating a speciality hospital that was built with the assistance of India. In this visit, Modi had also visited the people of the Indian-origin Tamil community.

Way forward

P.M. Narendra Modi has been trying to improve its relations with Sri Lanka as there is a fear of China intervening with the strategic backyard. In these visits, Modi has started discussing the reinforcement of traditional ties as China aggressively seeks to make inroads in the region of the Indian Ocean. Wickremesinghe had been a frequent visitor since his first visit. India has planned to invest in the Mattala airport of the Hambantota district in Sri Lanka that is 3 kilometres from the Hambantota port that is operated by China so that India could keep a check on the activities of Beijing.

Bhutan

India and Bhutan have a relationship of mutual confidence, respect, and trust for the national interest of one another. Bhutan is strategically located between China and India and hence holds a lot of importance. It is the only country with which India has had friendly relations since our Independence. Even Modi had said this in Bhutan that India and Bhutan share a special relationship. Modi chose Bhutan as the first neighbouring country to visit after he started his term in the office.

Bilateral Treaty

A bilateral treaty was signed between India and Bhutan in 1949 called the Treaty of Friendship, to which Bhutan wanted some changes. These changes were readily accepted by India and a new Treaty was signed in 2007 that addressed the concerns that Bhutan had with the old Treaty. This new Treaty states that neither of the countries are allowed to use its territory for any kind of harmful activity that would disrupt the interest and security of the other nation. 

P.M. Narendra Modi’s First Visit

India has been Bhutan’s primary economic as well as a development partner. Modi had visited Bhutan in 2014 after he had been invited by Tobgay and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He made a Supreme Court Complex and promised to provide assistance to Bhutan on matters concerning IT and digital sectors. He also made some business ties such as inaugurating the Supreme Court of Bhutan and making a hydro-electric deal. Modi said that Bhutan was the first foreign country he visited because it was his natural choice and the relationship India and Bhutan have is special and unique. This visit also included the Foreign Minister(Shushma Swaraj), Sujata Singh(Foreign Secretary), and Ajit Doval(Security Adviser).

Bangladesh

India has benefited a lot from the neighbourhood-first policy. In particular, Bangladesh has provided India with excellent strategic opportunities that would help to change the geopolitical situation of South Asia. 

Interaction with India

India and Bangladesh had accepted the judgment that was given by the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea in July 2014 and these countries had settled a maritime dispute that was going on for a long time. Modi visited Bangladesh in June 2015 where India and Bangladesh exchanged instruments of ratification regarding the agreement on the historic land boundary. In April 2017, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had visited India where she announced a new credit line that would be of $4.5 billion and an additional $500 million to purchase the defense hardware of Bangladesh.

Bright spot for India

Bangladesh is considered to be the bright spot in the neighbourhood-first policy and this relationship between the two nations has not derailed despite the efforts of ISI-sponsored elements and the pro-Pakistan groups, in fact, Bangladesh is at the forefront of India’s strategy of counterterrorism. Bangladesh has played an important role in the sub-regional initiatives that had taken place such as the BBIN initiative(Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) and the BIMSTEC ( Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. S. Jishankar, India’s Foreign Secretary has said that the neighbourhood-first policy has shown good results in Bangladesh as these nations have had a healthy relationship.

Myanmar

U Htin Kyaw, the President of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counselor of Myanmar had visited India in 2016, and P.M. Narendra Modi had visited Myanmar earlier in 2014. When the President of Myanmar had visited India, the discussions covered matters related to security and economic issues. An agreement was made to maintain peace and security at the border between these two nations. Both the nations had pledged to fight against any insurgent activities and terrorism. In the meeting, they also talked about the close coordination that is needed by both the nations to ensure maximum security along the borders, and also, there would be sensitivity towards each other’s strategic interests. 

China’s Growth

China has developed a series of infrastructure projects that have led a lot of experts to believe that this might regionally isolate India. The national security of India is at risk because of the strengthening ties between Pakistan and China, as Pakistan is India’s arch-nemesis. China has also laid its ground in Nepal and Maldives that has emerged as a widespread concern for India. China had also tried to lay its hand on the strategically located Bhutan but had failed to do so, but this shows China’s aggressive posturing of which India should take concern. 

In spite of China’s growth in various other nations, the achievements of P.M. Narendra Modi cannot be ignored as they have been significant. The neighbourhood-first policy initiative that was launched by Modi has seen a lot of engagements with the neighbouring nations that have proved to be a high point of foreign policy for India in the recent era. There should be frequent visits to these neighbouring nations to keep a constant nurturing so that China’s expansion does not affect India’s relation with its neighbours.

What next?

Looking at the scenario of China’s growth in other countries, India has to be careful while making its decisions. India should continue to strengthen its trade and economic links and also aim towards lifting barriers that are faced by Indian exporters to facilitate the exports from India and helping out other nations. India needs to focus on strengthening its ties with countries like Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, etc to develop in the field of defense and economy, and it should also continue to take part in military exercises with these nations.

Conclusion

While the people of India were doubting Modi’s decision to visit foreign countries, he was actually strengthening the relationship of India with these neighbouring countries. He has managed to visit a lot of countries since the inception of his post of the Prime Minister of India. These visits have definitely yielded positive results as India has extended assistance to its neighbours whenever such kind of assistance was required. There is nothing particular in the neighbourhood-first policy as it is just maintaining a positive relationship with its neighbour nation. This article sums up the neighbourhood-first policy and its implication with all the other countries that are India’s neighbours.

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