Reasons behind sore relationships with ever green friend, Nepal

In the interests of one and all ...

My dear countrymen!

Nepal is a small country situated in the Himalayan region. It has never been under colonial rule and proudly been a sovereign nation. It’s a buffer state, north of its mighty China and to the southern side is India. Because of its unique situation, it holds a very crucial position for India as far as India’s safety and strategic values are concerned.

India and Nepal have been friendly nations for more than centuries. People of both the countries are politically, socially and culturally attached to each other deeply and also have the same religious beliefs, faith and rituals. Nepal had probably been only strict Hindu nation in the world. Though India has been a democratic country since independence in 1947, Nepal has passed through dynamic transitions, monarchy to a democratic form of government to the secular democratic state.

Nepal is a landlocked state and 2/3rd of its trade are with India & more than 90% of its exports and imports transit is through its southern neighbour only. People of both the countries are free to move in each country without passport and visa having an open border. People of Nepal and India both have ample academic as well as employment opportunities with some exceptions in jobs in either side.

In spite of both being Hindu majority states, prevailing same value systems and a lot of familiarities there have always been some sorts of tensions between them which suddenly reached at its peak with K. P. Sharma Oli government coming into power. He took charge in Feb’2018. Though tensions between them have not come up suddenly but have been gradually growing for decades. To understand the actual reasons, we shall have to see the various events & political developments took place from the reign of Rana rulers with whom Indian government had signed an INDO- NEPAL TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP in 1950. This was a special relationship comprehensive treaty in which they agreed to respect the other’s sovereignty.

In the year 1952 came a very important Act, the Nepalese Citizenship Act of 1952. With this act a lot of migration took place and many Indians migrated to Nepal and got permanently settled there which disturbed a great deal of demographic graph of the areas and this development led to a great source of resentment among Nepali citizens and this act was in force until 1962.

In the year 1960, A very important move by Nepal, which took India by surprise when very adventurously, Nepal established diplomatic relationships with ISRAEL while Indian government was supporting PALESTINE & remained pro- USSR throughout the Cold War.

In 1962, taking advantage of India’s defeat in war with China, Elites of Nepal got some encouragement’s to bargain maximumly and in the process extracted much concessions in trades and commerce but India, too, in 1965 THROUGH A SECRET ACCORD got succeeded in monopoly on arms sales to Nepal thus preventing the possibility of China from supplying any arms to Nepalese armed forces.

Again, Relationships strained further when in the year 1969, Nepal challenged the MUTUAL SECURITY ARRANGEMENT and 1950 TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP. SIKKIM ANNEXATION by INDIA in 1975 was another major issue of the rift between both of countries. Nepal, Furious with annexation, proposed, Nepal to be INTERNATIONALLY recognised ZONE OF PEACE, where military competition must be OFF LIMIT. While Pakistan and CHINA immediately take notice of it, India was silent. In 1984, Nepal repeated the proposal and kept on raising the issue again and again in international forums. Finally, by 1990 it had a support of 122 countries including UK, France and USA.

In 1978 in another twist in relationships, India conceding to their long-term demand agreed to have separate TRADE AND TRANSIT TREATY. At the same time, much to the displeasure of royal kingdom, openly allowing the all opposition parties of Nepal to launch agitations against the government using Indian soil bluntly flouting the terms and conditions of PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP TREATY and also refused to endorse Nepal as a ZONE OF PEACE.

In the year 1988, a Major crisis arose in India-Nepal relationships when at the time of renewal of both the TREATIES, Nepal refused to accept single ROAD AND TRANSIT TREATY being a landlocked country. Even after two extensions, both the TREATIES expired on 23rd March 1989 with a result a virtual INDIA ECONOMIC BLOCKADE OF NEPAL that lasted till April 1990.

With the passage of time, India gradually withdrew all help & credit facilities relating to trade & commercial activities one by one at a stretch crippling their entire economy. The economic consequences were so huge that their GDP growth plummeted from 9.7% in 1988 to 1.5% in 1989. Now, Nepal was treated as one of the poorest countries in the world. Although economic interests were major confronting issues between both the countries yet India was very angry over Nepal’s decision to impose WORK PERMIT over Indians living there and also its attempts to acquire CHINESE WEAPONRY in the year 1988.

Having no support or help from foreign countries, failing to overcome multifarious ever-rising problems, Nepal government had to back down to its stand and India with the help of opposition parties operating from India managed to bring a change in Nepal’s political system through which King had to accept a parliamentary form of democracy. Pro- India parties assumed office and quick restoration of amicable India- Nepal relations started taking place.

After ending of the 13-month long blockade of Nepal, there were special security relationships established between the two countries during Nepal PM visit in 1990, again in 1991 another PM of Nepal visited and got another treaty signed to avail additional economic benefits. But relationships were taking a bitter turn again in 1995 when the third PM visited India with a demand to review 1950 PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP TREATY for greater economic independence, being land-locked country, simultaneously striving to improve ties with CHINA.

From seeing the above-mentioned sequences, we understand that roots of rebellion traits lie in Nepalese people since many decades from 1950 itself and it has always come up in every government in different forms in varying capacities. And India seemed always to be offensive and Nepalese on the defensive.

In recent years 2010 onward Chinese Maoism influences increased substantially over Nepalese government. And these were the period communist form of government was about to take place. Nepal was in the process of making and introducing its constitution for the first time. Meanwhile, in 2014, Modi government came in power in India and it was aware of the importance of Nepal and already visited Nepal four times in past four years of its tenure. When K. P. Oli government ( United Marxist-Leninist) assumed office in Feb 2018. There were two massive earthquakes in quick succession in which mass destruction of men, materials and infrastructure took place and about 9000 people were killed.

That time comrade K. P. Oli was in great need of help from all over the world particularly from India on humanitarian ground. During these time their constitution was ready and promulgated in September’20, denying Indian people who were living there since long, mostly from eastern UP and Bihar ( Madheshi, Janajatis and Tharus ....etc.) their proper citizenship rights. Naturally, this step of Nepal was not welcomed by the Modi government. In the meantime, having no hope of their inclusion, they Madhesis and others launched THE NEPAL BLOCKADE on 23rd September which lasted 05 months. The blockade was stopped just a few days before the visit of Nepali PM, K.P. Sharma Oli. This Madheshi protest moved the entire citizens of Nepal to the core, totally smashed their lives and all essential supplies to make a living was abruptly stopped and having no viable alternatives in sight, they were all totally shattered.

Oli government furiously blamed Modi government for this death- knell tragic approach and in no mood to accept that blockade of such massive scale at all possible without the help of the government of India, though Modi government has denied the blame outrightly.

As we know, “ Necessity is the mother of invention”, K. P. Oli went to China’s for help and happily got the better solutions to all its problems for good. This emergency has created a new source of supplies of all essential commodities to fulfil all its requirements in more economic & faster ways in most of the cases with few exceptions. This was the major diplomatic failure of Indian government under Modi. This was not the case until such emergency.

These are some of the major developments which hurt the people of Nepal. This Oli government is in no mood to submit but wants to resolve all issues on equal terms only because China has jumped into the picture to play its constructive roles in all spheres aggressively and that very much suits this comrade Oli- Dahal both.

Apart from these, they have various other issues over which they have disputes and dissatisfaction with India, for example they have problem over WATER sharing as well as many unfavourable terms imposed by India on electricity generation, distribution to buying back facilities through various hydro-related projects proposed and under construction in Nepal through Indian aid and assistance. Also, they have objections over high cost, escalation in cost and undue delay in completing the projects in comparison to China.

They have objections that Indian are investing everywhere and establishing turn-key projects world over but not in Nepal. Through various measures already undertaken, they are making efforts to claim that Bhagwan Buddha the product of Nepal, not India. Thus we see problems are many and this time turning the table they seem to be offensive.

Besides, there are many other issues like human trafficking especially mass Girls trafficking, Border disputes, and Trade-related issues ........etc. which have become the bone of contention and all these have to be sorted out at the earliest in mutual interests.

Since there is no substitute to mild approach, give and take policy, and never failed loving approach, whatever means necessary to make harmonious relationships between both the countries must be applied urgently before it’s too late.

Jai Hind.

Writer- Sinha.P.K. Views expressed are strictly personal. Feedback / Criticism welcome at Email -pkmsinha@gmail.com or follow @ pkmsinha.blogspot.in