Class 12 Political Science Chapter 13 India’s Foreign Relations
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Selected Questions-Answers
1. Very Short Questions and Answers: (Marks for each – 1)
(a) What does NEFA stand for?
Ans: North-East Frontier Agency.
(b) What is the name of the agreement signed in 1966 by India’sPrime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistan’s President General Ayub Khan?
Ans: Tashkent Agreement.
(c) When was the Shimla Agreement signed?
Ans: In 1972.
(d) In which year did the war between Bangladesh and Pakistantake place?
Ans: In 1971.
(e) In which year was the McMahon Line determined as the boundary between China and India?
Ans: In 1914.
(f) Which Article of the Indian Constitution mentions foreign policy?
Ans: Article 51.
(g) Who is regarded as the architect of India’s foreign policy?
Ans: The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru.
(h) In which year did China annex Tibet?
Ans: In 1950.
(i) When did China attack India?
Ans: In 1962.
(j) Who proposed the partition of Kashmir?
Ans: The United Nations.
(k) Where was the first Non-Aligned Summit held?
Ans: In Bandung, Indonesia.
Note: The first major Afro-Asian Conference was held in Bandung in1955.
(l) What is the main principle of India’s foreign policy?
Ans: Non-alignment.
(m) What is meant by “foreign policy”?
Ans: The policy adopted by an independent state to establish relationswith other states is called foreign policy.
(n) The Panchsheel Agreement was signed between India and______. (Fill in the blank)
Ans: China.
(o) In which year did the Kargil War take place?
Ans: In 1999.
(p) In which year did the Bharatiya Janata Party come to power?
Ans: In 1980.
Note: The Bharatiya Janata Party was formed in 1980 and first came topower at the national level in 1998. In 1977, the Janata Party formed the government.
(q) What are the main components of foreign policy?
Ans: National security and national interest.
(r) Who is called the chief architect of India’s foreign policy?
Ans: Jawaharlal Nehru.
(s) In 1971, with which country did India sign the ‘Treaty of Friendship’?
Ans: With the Soviet Union.
Note: This refers to the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation.
(t) What is the full form of CTBT?
Ans: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
(u) When did India conduct its first nuclear explosion? H.S. ’18
Ans: In 1974 at Pokhran.
(v) What is the name of the agreement signed in 1972 betweenIndira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto? H.S. ’15
Ans: Shimla Agreement.
(w) Who was the first Home Minister of independent India? H.S.’15
Ans: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
(x) Which Prime Minister of India adopted the Panchsheel policy? H.S. ’17
Ans: The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru.
2. Short Questions and Answers: (Marks for each – 2)
(a) Mention two major issues of dispute between India and Pakistan. H.S. ’15, ’19
Ans: (1) Jammu and Kashmir issue.
(2) The issue of Bangladesh’s independence.
(b) Mention two issues of dispute between India and China.
Ans: Two issues of dispute between India and China are-
(1) Border dispute.
(2) Granting shelter to the Dalai Lama.
(c) What is meant by peaceful coexistence?
Ans: Peaceful coexistence is a principle of Panchsheel under India’s foreign policy, which means maintaining one’s sovereignty while respecting theinternal and external sovereignty of other states and living together peacefully.
(d) What is meant by Non-Alignment?
Ans: Non-Alignment means not joining any military bloc and adoptingan independent foreign policy.
(e) Mention two important aspects of India’s nuclear policy.
Ans: Two important aspects of India’s nuclear policy are-
(1) Use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
(2) Opposition to total destruction through nuclear weapons.
(f) Mention two objectives of Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy. H.S. ’18
Ans: Two objectives of Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy:
(1) To protect India’s sovereignty.
(2) To establish friendly relations with foreign countries.
3. Medium-Length Questions &Answers: (Marks for each – 4)
(a) What is Panchsheel? What are its main principles? H.S. ’13
Ans: In a speech, Jawaharlal Nehru mentioned five principles as guidingfactors of India-China relations. These are known as Panchsheel. Later, theseprinciples became the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The five principles are:
(1) Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
(2) Mutual non-aggression.
(3) Non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
(4) Equality and mutual benefit.
(5) Peaceful coexistence.
(b) What are the major objectives or features of India’s foreignpolicy?
Ans: The major objectives are:
(1) To protect territorial unity.
(2) To maintain and promote international peace and security.
(3) To establish friendly relations with neighbouring countries.
(4) To ensure the security of people within India’s borders.
(5) To increase trade with other countries.
(6) To ensure smooth air and sea routes of India.
(7) To encourage freedom of countries under colonial rule.
(8) To oppose racial discrimination and promote a society free from discrimination based on caste, race and religion.
(9) To resolve international disputes peacefully.
(10) To cooperate with international organisations, especially the United Nations.
(c) Discuss India’s foreign policies.
Ans: The major foreign policies of India are:
(1) Non-Alignment: During the Cold War, India adopted the policy of nonalignment, and it remains an integral part of its foreign policy even after theend of the Cold War.
(2) Opposition to colonialism and imperialism: Having suffered nearly200 years of colonial rule, India has consistently opposed colonialism andimperialism and supported freedom movements in Asia and Africa.
(3) Support to the United Nations for world peace: India is a foundingmember of the United Nations and gives importance to resolving disputeswithin its framework.
(4) Pursuit of just objectives: Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, India supports just and peaceful methods in resolving international disputes and opposes war and violence.
(5) Friendly relations with other nations: Without entering into militaryalliances, India believes in maintaining friendly relations with all countries.
(d) Briefly discuss the Shimla Agreement.
Ans: In June 1972, an agreement was signed at Shimla between India’sPrime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistan’s President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, known as the Shimla Agreement.
Its main provisions were:
(1) Both countries would resolve disputes through bilateral peaceful negotiations.
(2) Both would respect each other’s territorial integrity, political independence and sovereign equality.
(3) Both would refrain from the use of force against each other’s territorial integrity. However, despite the agreement, tensions between the two countries have continued.
(e) Who was the architect of India’s foreign policy? Explain themain objectives of Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy.
Ans: Jawaharlal Nehru was the architect of India’s foreign policy. His main objectives were:
(1) To protect India’s sovereignty by adopting non-alignment so that thecountry would not fall under the influence of any foreign power.
(2) To establish cordial relations with neighbouring countries to prevent
further division after independence.
(3) To promote rapid economic development by increasing trade and technical cooperation with developed countries.
(f) Why did India adopt the policy of Non-Alignment? Discuss. H.S. ’14, ’16, ’19
Ans: After the Second World War, during the Cold War between the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union, India adopted the policy of Non-Alignment. Themain reasons were:
(1) At the time of independence, India was not militarily strong, so it
avoided joining either bloc to stay away from the dangers of war.
(2) India needed a peaceful environment for economic development andthus maintained friendly relations with all countries.
(3) As a large and sovereign nation, India wished to follow an independent foreign policy and secure a respected position in world politics.
(4) The peace-loving Indian people supported this policy as it reflectedIndia’s civilisation, culture and philosophy.
(g) Who can be regarded as the guiding figure of India’s nuclearpolicy? Write about India’s nuclear policy. H.S. ’20
Ans: Homi Jehangir Bhabha can be regarded as the guiding figure ofIndia’s nuclear policy. Under his leadership, India began its nuclearprogramme in the late 1940s.
Jawaharlal Nehru supported scientific and technological development forbuilding modern India and approved comprehensive nuclear disarmament. After China conducted a nuclear test in October 1964, the global race fornuclear weapons intensified. Although the United Nations called for nucleardisarmament treaties, India has not signed the Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty, considering it discriminatory. However, India signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963 and conducted nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998. In 1999,
India adopted a nuclear doctrine based on credible minimum deterrence anddeclared a no-first-use policy.
(h) Discuss the changing relations between India and Pakistan. H.S. ’15
Ans: Pakistan became independent on 14 August 1947 and India on 15August 1947. From the time of independence, relations between the two countries have been strained. Major issues include the Kashmir dispute, cross-border terrorism and nuclear rivalry. In 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty was signed. In 1965, Pakistan attacked India over the Kashmir issue. In 1971, war broke out overBangladesh, followed by the Shimla Agreement in 1972, which temporarilyimproved relations. However, subsequent events such as the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, the 1999 Kargil War, the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have strained relations. Despite thesetensions, India has continued efforts to improve bilateral relations.
