India-Bhutan relations
Bhutan- India relations
The bilateral relations between Bhutan and India have been close. Bhutan became a protectorate of British India after signing a treaty in 1910 that gave the British power to "guide" its foreign affairs and defence. In 1947, Bhutan was one of the first countries to recognise India’s independence and in 1949 both countries signed the Treaty of Friendship. The treaty called for peace between the two countries and assured Indian non interference in Bhutan's internal affairs in return for Bhutan agreeing to be guided by the advice of the Government of India, in regard to its external relations. The treaty also guaranteed free trade between the countries and duty-free transit for Bhutan's imports across India. Furthermore, the treaty assured the rights of citizens of each country and the extradition of criminals seeking refuge in either country.
The Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1951 affected India-Bhutan relations. Bhutan sided with India when the Chinese army occupied Tibet in 1959 and during the border dispute between China and India. China had also occupied eight western Tibetan enclaves under Bhutanese administration. In 1959, Nehru even declared in the Indian parliament that any aggression against Bhutan would be regarded as an aggression against India. Until the 1970s, India represented Bhutan's concerns in talks with China over the broader Sino-Indian border conflicts. India was also quick to assure Bhutan military assistance in the Sino- Indian War of 1962 and Indian aid increasingly bolstered Bhutan’s strategic infrastructure development. Bhutanese authorities also permitted Indian troop movements through Bhutanese territory. However, India's defeat in the war raised concerns about India's ability to defend Bhutan. Bhutan was also concerned by the Indo- Pak 1971 war, where it doubted India’s ability to protect Bhutan against China who was siding with Pakistan.
Until 1971, the Treaty of Friendship guided relations between Bhutan and India. However, the Bhutanese government had expressed desire to renegotiate the treaty to enhance Bhutanese sovereignty. Bhutan’s foreign policy took a turn when it joined the United Nations in 1971.Bhutan exerted its independent stance at the Non-Aligned Movement summit conference in Havana, in 1979, by voting with China and some Southeast Asian countries rather than with India on the issue of allowing Cambodia's Khmer Rouge to be seated at the conference. Bhutan's votes in the UN on such issues as the status of landlocked nations also did not follow India's leads.Also it wasn’t till 1973 that detailed demarcations of the India-Bhutanese border were made
In 2007, India renegotiated the 1949 treaty with Bhutan and signed a new treaty of friendship. The new treaty replaced the provision requiring Bhutan to take India's guidance on foreign policy, with broader sovereignty. It also does not require Bhutan to obtain India's permission to import arms. In 2008, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visited Bhutan and expressed strong support for Bhutan's move towards democracy.
