Advanced International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

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India's Relations with Neighbouring Countries: A Neighbourhood First Policy Perspective

Author(s) Ediga Lakshmanna, Dr. D. Chandramouli Reddy
Country India
Abstract India's Neighbourhood First Policy (NFP), launched in 2014 by the Modi government, is a doctrine that places South Asia at the heart of India's foreign policy agenda. This paper examines India's bilateral and multilateral relations with its immediate neighbours—Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Myanmar—within the NFP framework, with data current to January 2026. The paper reviews the trajectory of political change across South Asia from 2020 to January 2026, a period of unprecedented volatility that has compelled India to continuously recalibrate its foreign policy approach. The April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack and India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor (May 6–7, 2025) represent the most significant rupture in South Asian security in decades, fundamentally altering the India–Pakistan bilateral architecture. Simultaneously, India–China relations are undergoing a cautious reset following the October 2024 LAC disengagement accords and subsequent diplomatic normalization. Bangladesh is navigating a post-Hasina transition under a Yunus-led caretaker government, while Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are witnessing generational and political shifts that are moving regional diplomacy from 'Palace Diplomacy' towards 'People Diplomacy.' The paper critically evaluates progress in connectivity, trade, and humanitarian cooperation, alongside structural challenges including China's growing regional presence, governance instability, and democratic transitions. It concludes that institutionalised multi-stakeholder engagement, accelerated project delivery, and asymmetric concessions commensurate with India's economic weight are essential for the sustained success of the NFP.
Keywords Neighbourhood First Policy, South Asia, India–Pakistan relations, India–China LAC, SAARC, BIMSTEC, Operation Sindoor, regional connectivity, diplomatic recalibration, Gen Z politics.
Discipline Engineering
Published In Volume 4, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On 2026-01-09
DOI https://doi.org/10.62127/aijmr.2026.v04i01.1369
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