Bangladesh's relations with India and Pakistan, 1975-1990

Abstract

The thesis examines Bangladesh's relations with India and Pakistan from November 1975 to December 1990, a period which encompasses Bangladesh's two military regimes: those of Ziaur Rahman (1975-1981) and Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1982-1990). The principal aim of the thesis is to provide an analysis of the way in which extra-regional, regional and domestic pressures have combined to shape Bangladesh's foreign policy and its relations with the two most powerful and influential states in the South Asian region, India and Pakistan. The thesis analyses Bangladesh's relations with India and Pakistan from a range of perspectives: what is happening within Bangladesh; what is taking place within the other states; what is occurring in the region generally; and what is happening outside the region. The study also adopts both a broad and a detailed approach. Events and issues are examined in a detailed fashion, but they are also interpreted in terms of some of the broader forces and themes which have been deemed as influential in the shaping of Bangladesh's foreign policy.