India is making peace with its neighbours after decades of antagonism including three wars with Pakistan and one with China over unresolved territorial disputes, writes Rahul Bedi. It has negotiated a 30-year agreement with Bangladesh to share the waters of the Ganges river which flows through both countries, clearing a major irritant that had soured bilateral ties for many years.
It has also resumed peace talks with Pakistan, and agreed to provide landlocked Nepal access through its territory to ports in Bangladesh, therby reducing its dependence on Indian ports.
The 10th meeting of the Sino Indian Joint Working Group, comprising military personnel, diplomats and surveyors concluded earlier this month, inching its way towards demarcating the 4,060 kmlong disputed border over which the two went to war in 1962. But the most significant breakthrough by the Prime Minister, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, has been in resuming peace talks with Pakistan after a four-year gap.
Consequently, the "hotline" between the two prime ministers was revived almost a decade after it lapsed.
A joint working group is to deal with the disputed northern state of Kashmir. Kashmir nearly triggered off another conflict in 1990, when both sides were capable of deploying nuclear weapons.
The two countries have also agreed to ease visa restrictions, promote trade, exchange civilian prisoners and end hostile propaganda against one another.
But both sides said that while "structured and synchronised discussions " were essential to achieve peace, no "quick fixes" were available.
Analysts said it was significant that the last round of peace talks in June continued despite Pakistan accusing India of deploying surface-to-surface (SSM) missiles on its border and New Delhi continuing to accuse Pakistan of "sponsoring" Kashmiri separatists in their eight-year old independence war in which nearly 18,000 people have died.
Reuter adds: India has accused Pakistan of developing nuclear warheads for medium-range missiles with China's help.
New Delhi has also said Pakistan may have deployed M-11 ballistic missiles near the Indian border.
A member of the upper house of parliament asked the Prime Minister, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, in a written question, if the government "are aware of Pakistan's developing of nuclear warheads for its medium-range missiles with active technical assistance from China.
The Junior Foreign Minister, Mr Saleem Iqbal Shervani, responded in a written answer released by parliament on Thursday: "Yes, sir."