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What were Jawaharlal Nehru’s Five Principles of foreign policy?
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Jawaharlal Nehru
As India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was in office for more than 16 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister.
Jawaharlal Nehru, who served as India's first prime minister and chief architect of its foreign policy, defined the nation's approach through the Five Principles, also known as Panch Shila (or Panchsheel). These principles were formally articulated in a 1954 treaty with China regarding the Tibet region.12
The Five Principles are:
- Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty12
- Mutual nonaggression12
- Mutual noninterference in internal affairs12
- Equality and mutual benefit12
- Peaceful coexistence12
Nehru intended these principles to guide India’s nonaligned foreign policy, reflecting his hope for international cooperation and a "Third World" of nations free from Cold War superpower confrontations. While these ideals were central to his vision of India as a global peacemaker, the principles were later challenged by border disputes and the 1962 Sino-Indian War.12