PICTURE SPEAK

FIRM FRIENDS: King Wangchuck (left) with Manmohan Singh A NEW TREATY FOREIGN POLICY Removes colonial strappings that made Bhutan almost a protectorate of India and now talks of cooperation. ECONOMIC TIES Significant enhancement in all aspects to further trade and foster ties in a wide range of areas. SECURITY To prevent North-east rebels from using Bhutan as a base. The treaty has a firm commitment not to allow any activity harmful to security in each other's territories.

The King is aware that his independent reign would be the shortest in the hereditary line of the Wangchuck family that has ruled Bhutan since 1907. His father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who had ruled since 1972, has been preparing the country for democracy for close to a decade now. Before abdicating his throne in favour of his son, he had announced that Bhutan would shift to democratic governance in 2008.

With such a historic transition underway in Bhutan, it was only appropriate that India enter into a new friendship treaty that significantly revised and updated the one entered between the two countries way back in 1949. That treaty largely followed the text that had made Bhutan once a protectorate of Britain. While Bhutan had an independent say on its internal affairs, when it came to foreign policy it would be "guided by India's advice".

When Bhutan signed the treaty with India, it was one of the world's most underdeveloped countries without too many roads or telephone connections. Today, it is a bustling mountain nation whose economy has grown in size and spread. It now measures its growth in terms of "Gross National Happiness", a phrased coined by the previous King.

So the new King was bestowed with the rare honour of entering into an all new treaty. It removes some of the obsolete clauses and "colonial phrases" and includes fresh provisions that, India's Ambassador to Bhutan Sudhir Vyas says, "reflects contemporary realities and provides the foundation for future growth that would take our relationship to even higher levels of co-operation, goodwill and maturity."

Recognising Bhutan's maturity as a nation and its transition to a democracy, the language in the treaty pertaining to foreign policy now talks in terms of "co-operation". Importantly for India, with the North-east militants frequently using the jungles of Bhutan as shelter, the new treaty commits both countries "not to allow the use of their territories for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other". While India appreciated the stern military action taken by the previous king in 2003 to drive out the militants from Bhutan, it wanted a binding commitment on this aspect in the new treaty.

The treaty also includes significant new provisions to consolidate and expand economic co-operation between the two countries. Already India accounts for close to 90 per cent of Bhutan's trade. With India's economy growing at a phenomenal rate, Bhutan, too, is keen to ride the wave with the new King telling his advisers that "a strong India means an even stronger Bhutan." On his trip to India, the King appeared acutely aware of what he called the "immense legacy of Indo-Bhutan friendship" and constantly expressed his Kingdom's gratitude to India. He considered it his "duty" to do everything possible to strengthen it further. Seldom has India had such good relations with any of its neighbours.

-By Raj Chengappa

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