Ch 3Contemporary South Asia — Class 12 Political Science, concept-first.

The previous chapters looked outward, at the big global shifts of the post-Cold War era. This chapter turns the lens closer to home, onto South Asia itself.

Few things capture South Asia's character better than an India-Pakistan cricket match — fierce competitive tension on the field, alongside the genuine warmth that home crowds extend to visiting fans.

After Pakistan framed its first constitution, the country's democratic journey was interrupted almost immediately. General Ayub Khan took over the administration and soon got himself elected.

Bangladesh’s journey to democracy is a story of struggle against domination, military rule, and the eventual establishment of multi-party elections.

Nepal’s political journey is a story of the long struggle between the monarchy and the forces of democracy.

Sri Lanka’s story is unusual in South Asia: it has been a democracy continuously since independence in 1948, yet it faced a violent challenge not from the army or a monarchy, but from deep ethnic conf…

The most significant and persistent international conflict in South Asia is the one between India and Pakistan.

India shares borders with all the other South Asian countries except the two island nations, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The states of South Asia are often seen as locked in conflict, but the textbook makes a crucial point: they also recognise the need for cooperation.