This is Article 7, the final article of the StatChakravyuh current affairs series for the UPSC ISS General Studies paper. The previous article covered Census 2027.
Look at any UPSC ISS General Studies paper from the last decade and you will notice something at the very end of Question 4. The final part is almost always International Relations, and more often than not it concerns a neighbour or a grouping India belongs to. It is one 5 mark part, worth about nine minutes of your time, and it is the single most predictable location in the entire paper. This article prepares the most likely candidate for the next cycle.
Short answer. A trust deficit is the gap between what two countries expect from each other and what they actually observe. More than a hundred days into the new government in Dhaka, India and Bangladesh relations remain strained. The pending issues include the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996 by 31 December 2026, unresolved visa and trade restrictions, political rhetoric around illegal immigration, growing Bangladeshi engagement with China, and domestic instability in Bangladesh.
What is a trust deficit in international relations?
A trust deficit is the gap between the expectations two countries hold of one another and the conduct they actually see. When outcomes repeatedly fall short of expectations, doubts arise about intentions and commitments, and cooperation shrinks.
The visible symptoms are consistent across cases: diplomatic engagement slows, agreements and negotiations are delayed, security and intelligence cooperation is reduced, nationalist rhetoric rises on both sides, and strategic partnerships weaken. Defining the term properly in your opening line is worth doing, because it turns a news summary into an analytical answer.
What is the foundation of the relationship?
You cannot explain the present strain without the past closeness. Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan, where political discrimination, economic neglect and cultural suppression by West Pakistan produced widespread resentment. In March 1971 Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight to suppress the Bengali nationalist movement, resulting in large scale atrocities, mass displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
India’s role was decisive on three fronts: it sheltered nearly ten million refugees, it trained and supported the Mukti Bahini, and it intervened militarily in December 1971. Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation on 16 December 1971, and India came to be seen as its liberator, which created expectations of long term friendship and strategic cooperation.
Alongside that history run deep civilisational ties. Bengali, spoken by more than 230 million people, is a natural bridge. Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay are shared cultural icons. Durga Puja, Pohela Boishakh, Baul music and the Bengal Renaissance heritage are shared traditions. Thousands of Bangladeshis travel to India each year for medical treatment, higher education and business, with Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata as major destinations.
What are the current irritants?
| Issue | Why it strains the relationship |
|---|---|
| Ganga Water Treaty, 1996 | Due for renewal by 31 December 2026. Water sharing, including the pending Teesta question, is emotionally and economically sensitive on both sides. |
| Visa and trade restrictions | Curbs introduced during the period of political turmoil have not been fully rolled back, affecting travel, medical access and commerce. |
| Migration rhetoric | Political language on illegal immigration in India, and anti India narratives in parts of Bangladeshi politics, feed mutual suspicion. |
| The China factor | Deepening Bangladeshi engagement with China in infrastructure and defence raises strategic concerns in New Delhi. |
| Domestic instability | Political transition and concerns about minorities in Bangladesh complicate steady engagement. |
| Legacy of past alignment | India’s earlier closeness to the previous government makes the new leadership cautious in its dealings. |
What has India done to reach out?
India’s diplomatic response has been steady rather than dramatic. Before the new Prime Minister formally assumed office, the External Affairs Minister visited Dhaka on 31 December 2025. India also sent the Foreign Secretary and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to attend the swearing in ceremony. The objective in both cases was the same: demonstrate goodwill and establish constructive relations with an incoming administration regardless of its political colour.
That is a useful point for an answer, because it illustrates a principle. Mature diplomacy engages the office, not the individual. States deal with governments as they find them.
What is the way forward?
- Settle water first. Early and transparent renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty, along with movement on the Teesta question, would remove the single largest source of distrust and demonstrate reliability.
- Restore economic normalcy. Rolling back visa and trade restrictions helps both economies, and connectivity through border haats, rail links, power trade and inland waterways builds interdependence that survives political change.
- Protect the people to people layer. Medical travel, education, cultural exchange and the shared Bengali heritage are India’s most durable assets in Bangladesh, and they operate below the level of politics.
- Manage rhetoric. Domestic political language in either country carries across the border instantly. Restraint is a foreign policy instrument, not merely good manners.
- Recall what has worked. The Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 settled a complicated enclave problem that had lasted decades. It is proof that difficult bilateral issues can be resolved when both sides commit.
The strategic logic is simple. India shares a land border of about 4,096 kilometres with Bangladesh, its longest with any country, and that border runs alongside the narrow Siliguri corridor connecting the northeast. A cooperative eastern neighbour is not a preference for India. It is a requirement.
How is this asked in the UPSC ISS paper?
International Relations is almost always exactly one part at the end of Question 4, and past papers have covered the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which appeared three times, along with the group of major emerging economies known as BRICS, reform of the United Nations Security Council, India and Pakistan relations, neighbourhood shifts and multi alignment.
A likely framing here is: the India and Bangladesh relationship is passing through a phase of trust deficit. Examine the major irritants and suggest a way forward.
Model answer skeleton, about 200 words
- Opening line. Define the trust deficit and note that ties remain strained despite the historical foundation of 1971.
- Foundation. India’s role in the Liberation War, the emergence of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971 and the shared cultural inheritance.
- Irritants. Ganga Water Treaty renewal by 31 December 2026, visa and trade curbs, migration rhetoric, the China factor and domestic instability.
- India’s outreach. The ministerial visit to Dhaka and high level representation at the swearing in.
- Way forward. Water agreements, restored trade and connectivity, people to people ties and restrained political language.
- Closing line. With a border of about 4,096 kilometres and the Siliguri corridor at stake, restoring trust is a strategic necessity rather than a diplomatic courtesy.
Facts you must remember
- The Ganga Water Treaty of 1996 is due for renewal by 31 December 2026.
- Bangladesh became independent on 16 December 1971; India sheltered nearly ten million refugees and supported the Mukti Bahini.
- The India and Bangladesh land border is about 4,096 kilometres, India’s longest with any country.
- The Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 resolved the enclave issue and is the model of successful problem solving.
- Irritants: water sharing, visa and trade curbs, migration rhetoric, the China factor and domestic instability.
Two writing cautions for this topic
- Stay analytical, not partisan. Questions on a neighbouring country are testing your ability to weigh interests, not your political opinions. Describe positions, name the interests behind them, and let the conclusion follow from the facts. This is exactly the tone the examiner rewards.
- Avoid vague policy endings. Sentences such as “both countries should improve relations” carry no marks. Name the instruments instead: treaty renewal, border haats, power trade, rail connectivity and medical visas. Specificity is the difference between a filler conclusion and a scoring one.
These habits transfer directly to Paper 1 as well. Neighbourhood policy and regional cooperation are recurring essay themes, and our General English essay writing guide shows how to structure the same material at 800 words instead of 200.
You have finished the June 2026 cycle. Now write it out
Seven topics, seven answers. Written by hand at 200 words each, that is about ninety minutes of work and a genuinely prepared current affairs base for the General Studies paper.
Join the UPSC ISS community on WhatsApp and share your answers for feedback.
Take the free UPSC ISS course to see how our practice and evaluation system works.
Frequently asked questions
-
What is the trust deficit between India and Bangladesh?
A trust deficit is the gap between what two countries expect from each other and what they actually observe. In the India and Bangladesh case it shows up as slower diplomatic engagement, delayed agreements, reduced security cooperation and rising nationalist rhetoric, despite a historical relationship rooted in India’s support during the 1971 Liberation War.
-
When does the Ganga Water Treaty expire?
The Ganga Water Treaty was signed in 1996 for a period of thirty years and is due for renewal by 31 December 2026. Water sharing, including the long pending Teesta question, is among the most sensitive issues in the relationship.
-
How long is the India and Bangladesh border?
The land boundary between India and Bangladesh runs for about 4,096 kilometres, which makes it India’s longest land border with any country. It touches West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, and passes close to the strategically important Siliguri corridor.
-
What was the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015?
The Land Boundary Agreement operationalised in 2015 settled a long standing dispute over enclaves and adverse possessions along the India and Bangladesh border, exchanging enclaves and giving residents a choice of nationality. It is frequently cited as an example of how difficult bilateral issues can be resolved through sustained negotiation.
-
Why is Bangladesh strategically important for India?
Three reasons. It shares India’s longest land border and sits beside the Siliguri corridor that connects the northeast to the rest of the country. It is central to connectivity, trade and energy projects in the eastern subcontinent. Its external alignment, particularly its engagement with China, directly affects India’s security environment in the Bay of Bengal region.
-
How much international relations is asked in the UPSC ISS General Studies paper?
Very little in volume, but it is highly predictable in position. International Relations is almost always exactly one part at the end of Question 4, worth 5 marks. Past papers have covered the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, BRICS, United Nations Security Council reform and India’s relations with neighbours. You can verify the pattern yourself from the previous year question papers.
You have completed the series
Seven topics now cover all four question blocks of the paper: History, Geography and Environment, Economy and statistics, and Polity with International Relations. That is a complete current affairs base from a single month of news, filtered through thirteen years of paper trends.
Return to the June 2026 guide to revise all seven in one place, and see all monthly current affairs guides for the next month. Keep the habit going: one month, seven topics, seven written answers. Repeat that until the examination and current affairs will never be the reason you lose marks in General Studies.
Practice. Improve. Repeat.
Sources
Ministry of External Affairs (mea.gov.in), Press Information Bureau (pib.gov.in), and monthly current affairs compilations for June 2026.