Women as Peacebuilders of India: Unveiling the History of India’s Female-Led Foreign Policy Negotiations and Strategies

Throughout history, Indian women have been essential members in peacebuilding operations because they resolve conflicts while promoting social co-operation and establishing diplomatic agreements. The path to peace and reconciliation in India has been continuously supported by women who have engaged in movements since the pre-independence era through present-day grassroots organisations.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Sarojini Naidu and current peace activists throughout conflict zones in India demonstrate how women have consistently preserved social stability in Indian society. Through mediation and community leadership, and policy advocacy work, women demonstrate why both peacebuilding efforts and society building need an inclusive approach to recognise female empowerment.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Partition and Role of Women

Women have been on the receiving end of the atrocities during the India-Pakistan partition of 1947. This was the time when society romanticised honour killings and the poisoning of their daughters to protect their bodies from male prey. Some of it was also followed by forceful marriages, religious conversions, and even prostitution. Thousands of women were abducted, and several stories are still untold.

The worst off were widows, as for them, peace never persists, and they are to face the most adverse after-effects of the wars, right from protecting themselves and their children to following the rules of the new conqueror.

Apart from the sheer horror of rape survivors, they had to bear the physical pain of it– women’s bodies were mutilated, and carved with religious symbols or slogans, including tattooed phrases such as “Jai Hind” or the “Pakistan Zindabad.”

Pregnant women, when giving birth to newborns, had their children declared illegitimate by the state, forcing the mother to leave her child, as they belonged with the state. However, these atrocities were downplayed in favor of burgeoning neighborhood relations—a smokescreen of peace for common women stranded along border areas.

After years in 1976, both countries agreed on building relations and started cross-border movement services. One might perceive this as a positive move towards peace, but this affected the women the most. As they had to relive the shame and humiliation again, and some were even forcefully deported back to their home countries, where they were dejected.

This shows how women’s choices were never taken into account while making any decision for them, governments have always taken this into their own hands to decide the fate of women from both sides of the border. But in all this chaos, some women made a difference and mobilised others. Some, like

Bibi Amtus Salam worked on establishing peace in the refugee camps. She played an important role in rehabilitating the abducted women from both sides.

The message was also spread through the stitching of clothes done by women living in camps to earn their livelihood. Women in refugee camps thus had a very crucial role to play in shaping the political discourses.

Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971

On the day of 26th March 1971 started the Bangladeshi liberation war started.

Bangladeshi women had an important role in the liberation war; some Latika N. Marek and Princa Khey, played a crucial role in delivering letters, leaflets, or any other secret information to Mukti Bahini from different camps. Female sex workers also collected data from Pakistan, which was later used to plan wars.

But on the other side, the dignity of women was also violated. Even though Bangladeshi freedom fighters saw their country as a “female” figure, the Pakistani Army saw this as a way to attack their motherland by abducting their women and leaving a strong imprint.

Nayanika Mookherjee notes that while speaking of sexual violence perpetrated during the war, her interviewees would recall the Pakistan Army men saying that even though Bangladesh might be able to secede from Pakistan, “we [they] would leave behind a Pakistani in the womb of every Bengali woman”.

By the end of the war, an estimated 200,000-400,00 women were raped, resulting in 195,000 cases of forced impregnation.

Indeed, men are always celebrated for their victories in wars, whereas women are left behind as helpless and vulnerable, bearing the aftermath of the damage caused.

Hence, to exert more control over women’s bodies, several programs by the Bangladeshi state were mandated to force women to undergo abortions or “cleaning,” as they said. They were deeply wounded not just by horrific crimes during the conflict but also by how the women survivors were abandoned by all sides.

Though there were several efforts in terms of associations formed by women to fight the oppression, such as Bangladeshi Mahila Parishad, and Sirajganj Uttaran Mohila Sangstha (SUMS), this highlights the fact that women who had a central role in the mobilisation of freedom in Bangladesh were left stranded by their government.

Kashmiri Women's Participation in Militancy

Kashmir has been one of the most important border issues in the world. Kashmir has faced a lot in all these years, right from continuous political unrest to major terrorist attacks and shutdowns. And in all this chaos, women have been at the centre of it.

It is important to understand how women were treated during this time. Kashmiri women have been subjugated to violence both physically and mentally, there have been cases of rape, mutilation, sexual violence, and abuse.

Due to the continuous suppression of women’s needs, it came to the surface as they resorted to violence and forming militant organisations such as Muslim Khawateen Markaz (MKM) and Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), which have gathered over 500 women throughout Kashmir over 25 years.

These organisations provided them with physical training and self-defence. These organisations mostly consisted of wives of high-profile militants and were rigorously trained.

This move can be seen as a way for women to vent their aggression and fight back in the conflict rather than being on the suffering end. But there is one thing in all these conflicts and wars, how women were targeted and brutally suppressed to the extent that they had to take violent means to fight back.

ROLE OF INDIAN WOMEN IN TRACK II DIPLOMACY

Cynthia Enloe, the pioneer of feminism in international relations, famously asked this question: “Where are the women?” and even today, this question persists.

Women have been the flag bearers of peace movements all around the world; they have been the ones working on the ground to restore peace and normalcy yet we find them nowhere in big hallways and round tables. This is why women are missing from the Track I Diplomacy, as they are not given a seat of their own.

It is also to acknowledge how women as a community have always been regarded as vulnerable when it comes to the effects of wars. Men were always seen as brave and victorious, whereas women were seen as weak and dependent.

In India, women have always been passive participants in international policy and diplomatic talks, even if they were the most affected by the policy changes. This is because India has never streamlined the impact women have in Track II Diplomacy in India. Indian Women have always been active in politics and have played a key role in India-Pakistan border issues, northeast conflicts, etc. This is because they knew the issues from its core, they were living those problems and knew how to come to a middle ground.

Some of the women who have brought change in the involvement of women in diplomacy are

Meenakshi Gopinath who has actively worked on enhancing cross-border dialogues between India and Pakistan. She has particularly emphasised the importance of women’s perspective on peace. Similarly, Baisali Mohanty has worked on bridging art, culture, and literature to the forefront and working towards cultural diplomacy and relationship building.

Kirthi Jayakumar founded The Gender Security Project, focusing on the intersection of gender, peace, and security, advocating for an inclusive meaning of peace for all.

These are not just examples but stories of women who have tried to bring a change in the ways we perceive diplomacy and peacebuilding.

Track II Diplomacy is proof that one cannot bring long-lasting peace or stability by just having long conversations; it is the people who have survived and are living in that situation who can bring real change.

CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS FACED BY WOMEN

Indian foreign policy remains an almost exclusive male domain because society still believes female officials cannot perform diplomatic negotiations effectively. Gender biases within society insist that leadership functions suited for security and international relations should be performed by men, and this constraint prevents women from influencing national foreign policies.

India has witnessed strong female diplomatic leadership like that of Indira Gandhi and Sushma Swaraj. Although female representation in top diplomatic positions remains minimal.

The percentage of female officers within the IFS is relatively very low, and women remain very rare among ambassadors and high-ranking officials in defense and strategic policymaking. Government institutions fail to implement gender-sensitive policies that provide support for women to engage in peacebuilding work as well as diplomatic roles.

International relations suffer from a lack of mentorship programs as well as training programs and career advancement policies that benefit women in their development. The existing biases within bureaucratic systems limit the decision-making authority and freedom of bureaucrats. Women who work in conflict zones, particularly in border regions and insurgency-affected areas like Jammu and Kashmir or the Northeast, struggle with substantial safety risks.

Lack of local support and extremist threats against them complicates their ability to accomplish productive peacebuilding projects. Women-led peace negotiations face additional challenges because political instability, together with bureaucratic challenges, reduces their ability to gain legitimacy.

Foreign policy roles present demanding challenges that interact with traditional expectations of women as primary caregivers and make their sustained career development in diplomatic work complicated. The absence of institutional backing through work flexibility policies and diplomatic parental leave, as well as government office childcare services in India, continues to dissuade women from becoming peacebuilding leaders.

India’s diplomatic processes and peace advancements are primarily covered by mainstream news without properly acknowledging female contributors. Female diplomats with political leadership roles gain limited visibility in India. Thus, their influence on both policy creation and public dialogue diminishes because of insufficient reporting about their roles.

PRESENT-DAY EXAMPLES OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY MAKING

Ruchira Kamboj: India's Former Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The position of India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) was awarded to Ruchira Kamboj in 2022, marking her first appointment in this diplomatic role.

She has played a vital role in supporting India's position on matters of global security, alongside counterterrorism and sustainable development challenges. India, under her guidance, has improved national participation both in United Nations peacekeeping operations and multilateral discussions. The increasing authority of Indian women in international diplomacy becomes evident through their position in diplomatic service.

S. Vijayalakshmi Pandit: A Legacy of Women in Diplomacy

The inspirational heritage of Vijayalakshmi Pandit, who became India's inaugural female head of the UN General Assembly, directs motivation to present-day diplomats. Through her pioneering efforts, she made possible an increase in the number of women in Indian diplomacy, which today results in representatives such as Ruchira Kamboj and more in international policy leadership.

Women's Role in India's G20 Presidency (2023)

Women assumed essential roles in forming international policies during India's time as the G20 president. The Indian financial minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, maintained active participation in debt restructuring talks as well as economic policy discussions and international trade reforms and negotiations.

The drafting and negotiation process of international agreements was carried out by foreign ministry spokespersons and economic advisors who included women among their ranks.

Women in International Peacekeeping and Security

The nation of India participates in United Nations peacekeeping operations while its female personnel make essential contributions to these missions. India displays its dedication to security policies through its deployment of female peacekeepers in African UN missions.

The female military personnel have participated in activities that address peacekeeping missions while delivering assistance for human welfare and fostering peace in local communities.

Nirmala Sitharaman's Role in Defence and Strategic Affairs

From her service as India’s sole female Defence Minister from 2017 to 2019 and her current role as Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has significantly influenced India’s military strategies and international strategic partnerships. Through her defence agreements and Indo-Pacific dialogues as well as international economic initiatives, she demonstrates women's substantial role in forming India's foreign policies.

WAY FORWARD & FUTURE PROSPECTS

We need to acknowledge the role women have to play in India’s foreign policy and diplomacy. Their involvement over the years is proof of their importance in this area. Even though in recent years we have seen some increase in the number of women participating in high-level decision-making, that number is still less.

India needs to have more women in its international bodies, ministries, and other working committees. This will not just help it have a gendered lens but also give an edge in understanding the situation and finding its solution.

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BY VRINDA & AANYA

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