India Central Asia Relationship A Study of Perspective and Prospects 1995 2015

Abstract

India and Central Asian region have very long historical, cultural and economic connections. The famous Silk Route not only connected the people and businesses, but also let the thoughts, culture and beliefs flow freely from one region to the other. In the past, Buddhism, having its origin and growth in India, was welcomed by the people in Central Asia and similarly, many Sufi silsilahs popular in India have their connections with that region. newlineIn historical perspective, the end of the Cold War, following the sudden and swift collapse of the Soviet Union left the Indian political establishment in shock and ushered in a cataclysmic shift in its foreign policy, discourse away from Nehruvian idealism towards realism and pragmatism. This trend was reflected in India s foreign policy doctrine of 1971 that referred to Central Asia as our near abroad . India s attempted re-engagement in Central Asia over the last decade has been spurred on by a need to realize India s interests in four broad areas. First, and most crucially, to give India a footprint on the hydrocarbon map of them region to diversify and secure energy sources vital to India s growth momentum. Second, following the Soviet collapse and in view of Pakistan s pursuit of a strident Islamist agenda, India s security interests demanded a need to check the rise of radical Islam as a political force in Central Asia. Third, it was vital to keep a tab on drug trafficking and potential weapons proliferation in this geo-strategically important region. Fourth, promote interests in the commercial arena. newlineThe Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan became independent in the 1990s. Since their independence, the republics have been engaging with the countries in the region and beyond, and India is among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with them. New Delhi now has strategic partnership with three of the five republics and trade is also picking up, though slowly. In 2012, India announced the Connect