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2 India, Bhutan: No more unequal
treaties By Sudha Ramachandran
BANGALORE - Long looked on by its smaller
neighbors as a big brother or a bully, India
appears to be moving toward an image makeover. New
Delhi's decision to revise an unequal treaty with
Bhutan will not only remove an irritant in its
relations with that country but it also could
remove the sting from criticism of India's
"hegemonistic ambitions" in the region.
India and Bhutan are revising the 1949
Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which has
hitherto provided the framework for
bilateral relations. India has
a similar but less offensive treaty with another
Himalayan neighbor, Nepal, which was signed in
1950.
India and Bhutan have reviewed the
1949 treaty over several meetings during the past
six months. A new treaty is likely to be signed in
a few months when Bhutan's new king, Jigme Khesar
Namgyal Wangchuk, visits India.
While
details of the new treaty have not yet been
revealed, India's Ministry of External Affairs has
said that the changes in the 1949 treaty "reflect
the contemporary nature" of India's relationship
with Bhutan and aims at strengthening the ties in
a "manner that is responsive to and serves each
other's national interests through close
cooperation". It will enable the "further
intensification" of cooperation in hydropower,
trade, commerce and human-resource development.
Relations between India and Bhutan have
been warm. Bhutan is easily India's closest friend
in the neighborhood. India is Bhutan's largest
donor, accounting for almost 80% of its foreign
assistance, and its largest trade partner. It has
contributed generously to infrastructural
development in Bhutan. Besides, India provides
military training to the Bhutanese forces and
maintains a permanent military training presence
in Bhutan.
Whether in the United Nations
or in the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC), Bhutan has stood by India. It
has endorsed New Delhi's position on a
nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia, the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the 1998 nuclear
tests at Pokhran, and so on. And it has acted to
address India's security concerns.
In
2003, on India's urging, the Royal Bhutan Army
launched military operations against anti-India
insurgents such as the United Liberation Front of
Assam that had set up bases on Bhutanese soil.
This was in sharp contrast with the response of
Bangladesh, which despite India's requests has
simply denied the presence of anti-India
insurgents on its territory.
Although
India-Bhutan relations have been largely
trouble-free, there is an irritant. Bhutan has not
been comfortable with Article 2 of the 1949
treaty. It feels that its sovereignty is
circumscribed by this provision. India sought to
address this to some extent by supporting Bhutan's
membership in the UN in 1971.
Under the
1949 treaty, India has a significant role in
Bhutan's external relations. Article 2 requires
Bhutan "to be guided by the advice of India" in
the conduct of its external relations, and Article
6 allows Bhutan to import "arms, ammunition,
machines, warlike material or stores" for its
"strength and welfare" but with India's
"assistance and approval". It is believed that the
new treaty will allow Bhutan to pursue a more
independent foreign policy.
According to a
report in the Indian Express, the language in
Article 2 "will be replaced by 'language of
friendly cooperation' that, in effect, will give a
free hand to Thimpu in international affairs as
long as it does not act against Indian interests".
As for Article 6, it is likely that "the idea of
prior Indian approval for every military purchase
will be relaxed". It is likely that "Bhutan will
not require any such approval in purchase of
non-lethal military stores and equipment. There
will be influence in the form of assistance in
making all military purchases" but "this will be
reflected in the revised treaty more in the form
of advice than control".
An unequal
relationship between two sovereign countries
defined in a treaty is an outdated idea, and this
appears to have prompted India to make the treaty
more equal and contemporary.
Bhutan has
been quietly raising the issue of revising the
treaty with India for several years, and although
India did realize that this was necessary, little
was done about it. What has prompted New Delhi to
act now is the fact that Bhutan is democratizing -
it has a new constitution and the Bhutanese will
elect representatives to Parliament in an election
likely to be held next year - and that India needs
to acknowledge Bhutan's full sovereignty formally.
This appears to have provided momentum to the
process of revising the treaty.
"India's
obligation under the treaty to not interfere in
Bhutan's domestic affairs suited the interests of
the monarchy," a Bhutanese journalist told Asia
Times Online on condition of anonymity. The
kingdom pursued a studied policy of isolation and
therefore was not particularly perturbed with
having limited relations with the international
community. That could now change.
China
and Tibet were at the core of India's policy
toward Bhutan. In 1949, when the treaty was
signed, China had begun asserting control over
Tibet. This was viewed with concern by India and
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