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My hopes that the overall situation in the dear homeland would be considerably improved during my more than nine month long sojourn in the United States of America have been totally shattered after I returned home a few days ago. Chances of peace and normalcy being restored in the country seem as bleak as ever. The self-centered politicians are as greedy and scheming for power, as keen to nurse their own nefarious designs at the cost of the nation, as willing to dance to alien tunes and as ready to take the poor people to a ride as ever. Nepal ’s so called foreign friends are as unabashed to play politics with the tiny country to satisfy their obsession for democratic rule, shutting their eyes to the naked truth ignoring the sensitivity of the poor country. Nepal ’s traditionally friendly neighbor in the South is as blatantly playing the double game to pressurize the small and handicapped neighbor with its might and influence without batting their eyelids. Nepal ’s government is as ineffective and inefficient to meet the urgent needs and requirements of its people and to provide security to their lives and property. The bureaucracy is as nonchalant to its duties and responsibilities as it has been. The Maoists insurgents as desirous to killings, abductions and destroying the infrastructures. Even though all these were not unexpected, they have simply added to my frustrations. When the home minister of the country appeals to his countrymen in general not to travel to the capital, doesn’t it manifest his helplessness and inability to provide ample security on the highways leading to the capital? It is simply beyond our normal imagination how King Gyanendra expects to achieve his difficult objective of restoring peace and normalcy, so very necessary for a free, fair and smooth elections to reinstate democratic process, with such impotent mechanism.
It was heartbreaking to see that the overall situation in the country has rather deteriorated and the confidence of the people more shaken. Prices of daily necessities have shot rocket high. Shortages of all purpose water and power in the richest hydro power country have made life of all, rich and poor alike, intolerable. A sense of insecurity for their lives and property has made most people panicky. The damaging publicity against the small country, the pressures and the threats being put on her, by the so called donors and well wishers, friends and foes as well, must be giving sleepless nights to men in power. We can only presume King Gyanendra must be a terribly worried man. Since he has, time and again, expressed his determination to quell the insurgency and to hold the general elections, we need not be ultra pessimistic. All he needs is a mechanism that can bring his mission to success. Sane, timely and productive advice can still carry him through the difficult times. He must never lose sight of the fact that he cannot afford to lose the love and regard of his people and permit any erosion of the image of the institution he heads. All those who keep on boasting to be Nepal ’s good friends must stop exacerbating King Gyanendra’s problems and sincerely cooperate with him to crush the violent insurgency. Intimidating a small and handicapped country does not enhance the status of Nepal ’s richer and powerful friends.
We have been stressing all the time that Nepal cannot solve her problem without India ’s sincere cooperation. Even this Maoist problem urgently needs India ’s unstinted cooperation for a speedy resolution since this too has emanated from her hubris and misguided policy. Modern India must have learnt in these long six decades that Nepal cannot be subdued by force or hypocratic behavior. Nepal fully realizes her own vulnerability and need for India ’s good will and friendship. She only wants that India respected her sensitivity and enabled her to go all the way to help her bigger neighbor. Both Nepal and India are suffering under delusions and complexes. Since they have to live together they have to forsake their unrealistic behavior for all time, give up all rhetorics and practice only truths based on realism so that both may derive all the benefits they both can give to each other. A dissatisfied and resentful Nepal will always work as a thorn in the Indian neck howsoever affluent and powerful she might become. They don’t need intermediaries to bring them together and start a mutually profitable dialogue. It is high time both the countries accepted their failings and took measures to build up a faultless friendly relationship. It is an urgency India cannot overlook and postpone for long. As for Nepal , she needs it for her healthy survival.
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