South asia

South Asia 1985-2013

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    Civil War in Sri Lanka

    The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organisation (LTTE) tries to create an indepedent Tamil state on the North and East sides of the Island of Sri Lanka. After 25 years of fighting, which left the island in ruins, the government wiped out the LTTE and began to rebuild what had been destroyed by the fighting.
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    Democracy in Pakistan

    After the death of President General Zia-ul-Haq, the military ruler in change from 1977-1988, a general election was held and Benazir Bhutto became the first female Prime minister of Pakistan, marking the beggining of Pakistan's third Democratic era.
  • Armed Resistance

    Armed Resistance
    In 1989, an armed resistance against Indian rule was started in Kashmir. Some people were fighting for independence from India, others wanted to be united with their neighbor Pakistan.
  • Civil Strike in Nepal

    Civil Strike in Nepal
    A civil strike is organized in Nepal during a time of economic chaos and crisis.
  • Ayodhya Dispute

    Ayodhya Dispute
    In 1992 a Muslim Mosque, the Babri mosque, was destroyed by Hindu nationalsits. This inabilty for Hindus and Muslums to get along led to the deaths of over 2,000 in this one event.
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    Civil War in Nepal

    On February 13, 1996 the Communist Party of Nepal started a civil war. Their the goal was to overthrow the Nepalese monarchy and establish a 'People's Republic'. On November 21, 2006, the war ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord.
  • Nuclear Arms Race

    Nuclear Arms Race
    In May 1998, India conducted nuclear tests and soon afterwards Pakistan followed. This marks the beginning of the nuclear arms race between the two countries.
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    Nuclear Arms Race between Pakistan and India

    Starting around 1998 Pakistan and India both began nuclear testing: Pakistan, to keep India from invading their territories, and India to be able to fight back if Pakistan ever attacked. What started as a friendly competition between neighbors quickly escalated to a nuclear arms race where many new technologies were created. This arms race is still going on today.
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    Military Era in Pakistan

    In 1999, Nawaz Sharif, the Prime minister following Bhutto, was forced to relinquish office by the military leadership. Pakistan's third military era followed.
  • Lahore Declaration

    Lahore Declaration
    On February 21, 1999, the leaders of India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration, which states that the countries agree tio work towards solving their differences including their issues involving Kashmir.
  • Slowing Down the Peace

    Slowing Down the Peace
    Soon after the Lahore Declaration was signed, the Prime Minister of India said that Kashmir was India's territory and would never be given away. This angered Pakistan, hulting the movement towards peaceful relations between India and Pakistan, and pushing forward the nuclear arms race.
  • India's Population

    India's Population
    In May of 2000, India's population exceeds 1 billiion people.
  • Democracy in Bhutan

    Democracy in Bhutan
    On March 26, 2005, the king and government leaders of Bhutan distributed drafts of the country's first constitution. They wanted it to be reveiwed by every citizen.
  • The United States, India, and Nuclear Weapons

    The United States, India, and Nuclear Weapons
    In March 2006, the United States and India “signed a controversial nuclear cooperation agreement.” The agreement stated that the United States would allow India to access its nuclear technology in return for India increasing the security on its nuclear program.
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    Pakistan is Democratic Once Again

    The American War in Afghanistan was very unpopular and led to the rise of left-wing opinions and the return of a multiparty democracy. Pakistan is currently in their fourth democratic era.
  • Mumbai Attacks

    Mumbai Attacks
    India blamed militants from Pakistan for the attacks on Mumbai and temporarily stopped their progress towards peace.
  • United Nations Security Council

    United Nations Security Council
    India applied for a seat in the United Nations Security Council in 2004 and they were granted a nonpermanent seat in January of 2011 for the 2011-2012 term.
  • Importion of Arms

    Importion of Arms
    India became the world's largest importer of arms, taking the position from China, in March, 2011.