Nov 03, 2006

By MADHAV KUMAR RIMAL

Recent news and comments in some of leading Indian print media have stressed the necessity of reviewing India ’s foreign policy and implementing requisite improvement that have become overdue. India ’s dismal failure to win the confidence and goodwill of her neighbors, specially her smaller neighbors, has cost her greatly. The extreme humiliation she had to suffer in the recent election for the Secretary General of UN Security Council has not only scarred her global image but also impelled her policy makers to come down to earth and face the naked realism in good grace. India’s leading daily, The Times of India, usually said to be the official organ, has reported that the newly appointed foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee is “likely to make substantive difference in neighborhood” policies. Indeed, it has been overdue for a long time. The utter failure of Indian statesmen and bureaucrats to shake off their colonial psyche has not only contributed to make South Asia as the most volatile region but one of the poorest also. India , as the biggest and most powerful nation, with a booming economy in recent times, should have been able to lead the region to peace and prosperity. Instead, fear, misgivings and unrelenting animosity keep on plaguing her bilateral relations with all her smaller neighbors. No ghost need come from hell to tell us that India has no option but to establish and maintain cordial and cooperative relations with all her neighbors, big or small, if she wants to achieve her soaring ambitions in the international community. Her size, population and strategic importance does demand that. But what a great pity that even with her smallest neighbor Nepal, with whom she keeps on boasting to have centuries old religious, cultural and social affinity, her relations are far from satisfactory. But in statecraft, these kinds of sentimental protestations carry little weight as scores of regional and two devastating world wars have proved. These are only the tools of wily politicians to hoodwink the poor innocent masses. Instead, one must be sincere and put the fingers on the real causes of dissensions and make honest efforts to diffuse them. Nepal-India relations could be said to have assumed the present form after the British left India in 1947. The British were happy to maintain a friendly working relation with Nepal . But the Indians celebrated their freedom starting with an obsession of Akhanda Bharat and still have not been able to gracefully accommodate with the principle of partition that created Pakistan and the existence of a free and independent Nepal . They completely forgot that India was united into a centrally administered unit, as it is today, by the British and her ancient history keeps on reminding us of her possible disintegration. Coming back to Nepal-India relations, India never tried to give a strong and solid foundation to her relations with her small neighbors. Starting with exploiting the folly of King Tribhuwan of surrendering himself to the Indians to get rid of the autocratic Ranas, the Indians have never permitted politics to stabilize in poor Nepal . Since it will be futile to dig skeletons out of the graves, which will only reopen the scars and fill our hearts with bitterness, we will take a few more recent issues that throw ample light on India ’s attitude towards Nepal and, have deeply influenced the course of Nepal-India relations. One, the economic blockade of Nepal by India more than a decade and half back, two – the Bhutani refugees pushed into Nepal by India . Nepal has no contiguous border with Bhutan and lastly, aiding and abetting the Maoist insurgents to mount violent insurgencies against Nepal enjoying a safe sanctuary in India - are some burning issues that have marred their bilateral relations. Of course, the trauma of the economic blockade has become thing of the past for poor Nepalis with the scars indelibly engraved on their hearts. The economy badly bruised by the blockade had not even got to its feet when unprecedented corruption of the restored multiparty democratic regime and the forced influx of the refugees of Nepali origin, evicted from their homeland in Bhutan claiming a share in the scanty resources of the poor country further aggravated the miseries of the Nepalis. These refugees should have gone over to India being the contiguous neighbor. Instead, they have been thrust on Nepal by India , their paths to India were blocked by the Indian army. If this is not the undeniable proof of Indian complicity in the eviction of thousands of non-indigenous population by the King of Bhutan as the finale of a well-organized plan of ethnic cleansing, how is one going to explain it? Political analysts here opine that this problem could have been solved by the Indians with the snap of their fingers. Naturally, they would not do it as it serves their interest of pressurizing the Nepalis.

The third issue, that of the Maoist insurgents, has taken Nepal to the verge of total ruin. She was almost on the point of becoming a failed state. Why India granted them a safe sanctuary with all kinds of help and cooperation apart from training camps and other training facilities and permitted them to mount violent insurgency against the small neighbor despite the fact that she was the first to label them terrorists, is, indeed, beyond common human comprehension. The analyst further explained that this Indian umbrage against Nepal , the small, poor and weak but friendly neighbor, was simply a part of the Grand Design they have been harboring ever since they won their independence in 1947. For a student of history who has followed the political developments in South Asia for the last five decades and a half, this paradoxical behavior of the Indians will not be difficult to comprehend. It can be easily compared to the methodical madness of Hamlet. But the most surprising fact is why they cannot see the obvious that is has not paid them. And neither ever will. That India ’s stature in the international community still needs greater height and depth has been irrefutably substantiated by recent events, which impel her to revamp her image in the immediate neighborhood. As far Nepal is concerned, India must give up the practice of hypocritical rhetorics, buying the loyalties of politicians, journalists, bureaucrats and a section of intellectuals, and start a clean diplomacy. The Nepalese masses are getting wiser and have started to resent the exploitation of even their corrupt anti-nationals. Sooner or later, Nepal is sure to produce patriotic politicians who will undo all the anti national pacts or treaties the pliant political set up has signed or plans to sign. The Indians have to realize, once and for all, that the corrupt politicians could not be their sincere friends since they have no morality and no character. They only work to serve their own interests.

India must also stop insinuating that Kathmandu is the breeding ground of ISI agents. “It is a matter of extreme concern that ISI is trying to infiltrate and subvert our armed forces,” said Pranab Mukherjee as Defense Minister (TOI 24 Oct, 2006). They must strengthen their own defenses rather than blaming others. Wouldn’t it be a great shame for India if ISI infiltrateed her armed forces? And how about the RAW network in Nepal ? Why does not he say something on that? Mukherjee is now the foreign minister and must mind his language. His top priority would be to try to instill trust and confidence in the Nepali minds. All patriotic Nepalis are good friends of India and don’t want any confrontation with her. India must change her policy of nurturing spineless and submissive Nepali politicians. They must not forget that even a brave and honest enemy is better than a coward and dishonest friend. Both Nepal and India do need each other. It is time India started winning the hearts of her smaller neighbor.