Weak passport
Nepali passport has become so weak that it is one step below the passport status of North Korea in the global ranking. A weak passport reflects Nepal’s image in foreign countries. Political instability, a weak economy, weak foreign policy, absence of rule of law, and violation of the immigration laws of the foreign countries by the Nepali nationals, among others, are the reasons for declining Nepal’s international image followed by weakening Nepal’s passport status. Travelling to foreign countries by carrying a Nepali passport has also become an issue of prestige.
Out of the 112 countries’ passport index 2022 conducted by Henley, a British company, Nepal has been ranked 106th place, whereas, North Korea is placed at 105th position.
Due to the violation of the immigration law of the concerned countries, Nepali nationals are receiving visas on arrival only in 38 countries, whereas, North Korean nationals enjoy such a facility in 40 countries. In the passport ranking, Japan is the No 1 country, Singapore and South Korea are the No 2 countries. 192 countries provide visas on arrival to the nationals of these countries. Bhutani nationals can get a visa on arrival in 93 countries, whereas, Sri Lankan nationals can get a visa on arrival in 103 countries.
Today, visiting Hong Kong is almost impossible for Nepalis. As the trend of fleeing away from the airport and illegally staying there has increased, the Hong Kong authorities have discouraged the arrival of Nepali nationals. Otherwise, Nepalis were enjoying the facility of the visa on arrival in Hong Kong. As the trend of going abroad and illegally staying in foreign countries has increased, many countries have suspended visas on arrival for Nepali nationals in recent years. Youths frustrated by the political situation and lack of employment opportunities within the country are trying to visit foreign countries to ensure their future. Many of them visit illegally and also without carrying necessary travel documents. This is the main reason for losing its international prestige.
Every immigration office in the international airports will suspect the Nepali passport holders whether the traveller is a high-ranking political leader or government official or the commoner Nepalis. The grading of the passport is the grading of Nepal’s international image, which we have already lost. Since the adoption of the multiparty democracy and later Loktantra, Nepal’s economy has been ruined and now Nepal has become a country for supplying the labour force for dirty and risky work in foreign countries. Bad political leadership, bad bureaucracy, bad government policies and bad political system are responsible for creating the present mess in the international arena. Nepal’s economy has been destroyed not because of the commoners but because of bad economic policies. Our foreign policy has been destroyed because of nonvisionary political leadership.
The entire nation was against the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), unfortunately, in the process of correcting the errors, parliament has ratified MCC with some conditions. Along with the MCC, Nepal has been dragged into another American conspiracy of joining the Strategic Partnership Programme (SPP). Both MCC and SPP are the economic and military strategies developed by the Americans under the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). Immediately after the ratification of MCC from Parliament, the SPP issue surfaced. The cabinet led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has already decided to reject the SPP, however, the Foreign Ministry is delaying formally informing the government decision to the US government. Now, different government sources say that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is trying to ink the SPP through backdoor channels. He had tried to visit the USA for this purpose and had planned to ink on the SPP at the defence secretary level during his visit to the USA. When the issue surfaced, PM Deuba hesitated to visit the US, however, he is seeking options to ink the SPP deal, that is why he is delaying to inform the US government about Nepal’s decision on SPP. The government sources also inform that Nepal has already received two aircraft and other military support under the SPP grant, therefore, Nepal is already engaged on SPP. It is true that Nepal is already included in the SPP member list, nevertheless, the political leaders are trying to hide this fact. Be that as it may, either it was late Sushil Koirala or K.P. Sharma Oli or Sher Bahadur Deuba, both the MCC and SPP deals are the act of violation of the nation’s foreign policy principle based on non-alignment. Nepal, a country between two giant nations India and China, both emerging as the global and regional powers, has created suspicion to both the neighbours, maybe, for the time being, India has remained silent but China has already expressed its diplomatic reaction. The American presence
and their increasing activities in Nepal is not digestible for China, and also for India. Our political leaders decided to accept the American grants through MCC and SPP without necessary homework, which has now pushed the nation into a serious diplomatic crisis. The leaders are engaged in blaming each other for being responsible for the mistake but they have not studied the impact of such controversial deals. There is something about the government’s delay in writing a letter to the US government. Be that as it may, it is sure the nation has fallen into crisis due to the wrong handling of the foreign policy.
Not only has the foreign policy chaos been witnessed, but in all sectors, the political leaderships have failed. The present passport grading is the result of Nepal’s failure in all fronts.