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India
India wins independence -
India
1948 - War with Pakistan over disputed territory of Kashmir -
Shri Lanka
1949 - Indian Tamil plantation workers disenfranchised and many deprived of citizenship -
Nepal
1955 - King Tribhuwan dies, King Mahendra ascends throne. -
Bhutan
1958 - Slavery abolished. Other social reforms follow in subsequent years. -
Shri Lanka
1962 - New constitution provides for non-party system of councils known as "panchayat" under which king exercises sole power. First elections to Rastrya Panchayat held in 1963. -
Maldives
1965 - Full independence as a sultanate outside Commonwealth -
Bangladesh
1971 - Awami League proclaims independence of the province as Bangladesh. Pakistan is defeated in brief war, with Indian assistance. -
Bangladesh
1974 - Severe floods devastate much of the grain crop, leading to an estimated 28,000 deaths. -
Bangladesh
1975 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is assassinated in a military coup in August. Martial law is imposed. -
Nepal
1986 - New elections boycotted by NCP -
Nepal
1989 - Trade and transit dispute with India leads to border blockade by Delhi resulting in worsening economic situation. -
Shri Lanka
1990 - Indian troops leave after getting bogged down in fighting in north. Violence between Sri Lankan army and separatists escalates. "Second Eelam War" begins.
Thousands of Muslims are expelled from northern areas by the LTTE. -
Bhutan
1999 - Limited television and internet services allowed; several dozen political prisoners released. -
India
2000 May - India marks the birth of its billionth citizen. -
Bhutan
2001 August - Bhutanese, Nepalese ministers meet to discuss the repatriation of Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal. Some 100,000 ethnic Nepalese say they were forced out of Bhutan in the 1980s and 1990s, alleging ethnic and political repression. -
Bhutan
2006 June-August - Bhutanese refugees in Nepal demonstrate over several weeks to press for third-country resettlement. -
India
2006 March - US and India sign a nuclear agreement during a visit by US President George W Bush. The US gives India access to civilian nuclear technology while India agrees to greater scrutiny for its nuclear programme. -
Maldives
2008 October - Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed defeats President Gayoom in second round of voting, inaugurated as president in November. -
Bhutan
2009 April - Huanglongbing virus wipes out much of orange crop. Oranges are an important export for Bhutan -
Shri Lanka
2009 May - Government declares Tamil Tigers defeated after army forces overrun last patch of rebel-held territory in the northeast. Military says rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed in the fighting. Tamil Tiger statement says the group will lay down its arms -
Maldives
2011 May - Police clash with opposition-led protesters complaining about food prices. -
India
2013 September - A court sentences four men to death for the gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi the previous December - a case that led to violent protests across India and new laws against rape. -
Maldives
2015 - November - Government declares state of emergency for 30 days ahead of mass rally in support of jailed former president Nasheed, allowing security forces to detain suspects without charge, and shutting down major online news sites. -
Nepal
2017 April - Three former soldiers are convicted over the murder of a 15-year-old girl during the civil war, the first time serving or former members of the army have been found guilty of crimes linked to the conflict.
China and Nepal hold their first ever joint military exercise. -
Bhutan
2017 February - The Islamic State group takes responsibility for a suicide bombing at a major Sufi shrine in Sindh which killed nearly 90 people. Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan -
Bangladesh
2018 February - Opposition leader Khaleda Zia is sentenced to five years in prison for corruption, disqualifying her from contesting the elections later in the year. -
Shri Lanka
2019 April - Jihadist suicide bombers attack churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, killing more than 350 people. -
Bhutan
2019 February - Clashes with India follow an attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e Mohammad jihadist group on security forces' convoy in Indian-controlled Kashmir. -
Shri Lanka
2020 August - President Rajapaksa's SLPP party wins large majority in parliamentary elections.