Can we save Nepal?

The Indian bulling on Nepal continues. The Indian behaviour is similar to the story of “the goat and the wolf”, which we had read during our school days. The Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman is unaware of the disappearance of Jaysingh Dhami who fell to the swollen Mahakali River after the two Indian border security force personnel untied the knot of the Tuin cable. The Nepal government is unable to send a diplomatic note to the Indian government demanding action against the security personnel responsible for taking the life of innocent Nepali youth. The Indian helicopters are flying over the Nepal Army barrack in Khalanga, Darchula District in Nepali airspace. The government was reluctant in sending a protest note to India, however, after a massive criticism from the general public, on Monday, the Foreign Ministry is learnt to have sent diplomatic notes to the Indians.

The Indians have already encroached on the Kalapani territory and constructing a road up to the Chinese border. The Indians have encroached Nepali territory at 51 points in 21 districts adjoining India, according to Buddhinarayan Shrestha, a Nepali border expert.

The Kalapani-Limpiyadhura area with 372 sq km (37,800 hectares) encroached by India is the largest chunk of Nepalese territory. India has grabbed about 13,500 hectares of Nepalese land in Susta alone.

According to Shrestha, also a former Surveyor-General of Nepal, India has encroached about 59,970 hectares of Nepali territory at 54 points in 21 districts adjoining India in the East, West and South. Nepal has not been able to return to India encroached Nepali territory. Earlier to the Sugauli Treaty in 1816, Nepal was expanded up to the Tista River in the East, Sutlej River in the West and River Ganga in the South. When the British raj was ended in India, the British rulers had agreed to return the territory annexed by them to the concerned authorities/nationalities. The 1950 Treaty inked between Nepal and India also speaks about the scraping of all the past treaties and agreements endorsed between the Nepal government and British India, which also includes the Sugauli Treaty. But the Indians didn’t return Nepal’s territory occupied by British India.

India has kept opened her border with Nepal maliciously. Experts from both Nepal and India representing the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) had prepared a report with a recommendation for regulating the international border between the two nations. That report has not been accepted by the present Indian government. Nepal’s King Birendra had proposed declaring Nepal as a Zone of Peace (ZOP). This proposal was recognized by 116 nations in the globe, except India. Later, in the 1990 constitution, those India sponsored political leaders removed the proposal included in the constitution without any justification.

Today, the Nepal government is under the grip of the very group of political leaders who had inked the 12-point agreement drafted by the South Block and RAW officials in Delhi under the Indo-West design.

Today, the very group is planning to rectify the controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) from parliament despite opposition from different political leaders, intellectuals, and experts.

In the meantime, to annoy Nepal’s other immediate neighbour and emerging superpower China, the government has constituted a Nepal-China border inspection team to inspect the border points from Limi, Lapcha to Hilsa in Nmkha Rural Municipality in Humla district. The committee doesn’t include representatives from the Foreign Ministry.

It is said that under the initiative of Jeewanbahadur Shahi, NC leader in Humla and Province Council Member, the government has constituted the border inspection committee.

The previous government led by Oli had already clarified that there was no border dispute with China.

Presently, UML in opposition has stated that the government should read the report presented by the then NC government led by Sushil Koirala.

According to the security sources, there is no border encroachment from the Chinese side. The Chinese side has constructed some buildings in the Chinese territory across Limi, Lapcha.

NC leader Shahi had visited the site twice in a chartered helicopter. From where Shahi managed money to pay for the helicopter, it is suspicious. He might have been used by some external forces, the security source suspects. The present government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is known to be the confidant of the USA and India, has, without reading the past government reports, in an attempt to humiliate China and to please his bosses in the Indo-West block, has decided to rectify the controversial MCC and constituting a border inspection team. Presently, Nepal is functioning without any foreign policy. The leaders in the government have forgotten Nepal’s geopolitical base of non-aligned foreign policy and maintaining equidistance relations with the immediate neighbours and other friendly countries. The present government is seen keen for joining the Indo-West lobby by undermining the geopolitical reality, which could be costly for Nepal’s existence.

To conclude, Nepal cannot be saved from such a fragile policy.