ABSTRACT

In 1987, India’s security was comparatively strong, though significant external and internal threats to it persist. India’s external security concerns have centered primarily on its neighboring states, Pakistan and China. The defense of Kashmir—India’s only Muslim majority state—has been complicated by the “Khalistan” separatist movement and Hindu-Muslim conflict, both of which tend to aggravate Indo-Pakistani tensions and add to the security pressures on the Indian government. India’s external security concerns begin with its neighbors, Pakistan and China, and consequently its strategic posture and defense programs continue to be based on the military capabilities of these two states. Thus in 1987, the overt threat to internal security from separatist movements was largely confined to the Punjab. Domestic political and military activity in other nations sometimes affects Indian security, and, conversely, internal security problems in India have become entangled with its external security concerns.