Against national interest

The move to amend the Citizenship Act-1963 was rejected by the Upper House. This is indeed a step in the right direction even if all political parties had deemed the amendment necessary. No political party—be it the ruling party or the opposition—can attempt to enforce a law that does not safeguard national interest. It has become quite clear now that the Lower House passed the Bill with party interest in mind rather than national interest. Otherwise, the two main parties, the NC and CPN-UML, would have at least invited debate on the Bill in Parliament. The manner in which the amendment was brought under the finance Bill itself shows the deception involved. Obviously, the amendment which was sent to the Upper House for final approval had ulterior motives behind it, perhaps it had to do something with the vote banks for it directly relaxes the procedures for obtaining Nepalese citizenship.

The National Assembly opposed the sixth amendment of the Citizenship Act -1963 and sent it back to the Lower House of Parliament. The ruling NC and main opposition CPN-UML had passed it without even giving a thought to the consequences. The government has neither justified this amendment nor was it discussed or scrutinized in Parliament. What it is has done is retabled the Bill in the Lower House, which, may now seek Royal approval. If this happens, the government will definitely make the country vulnerable to migrant citizenship seekers and that could not only threaten the country’s sovereignty but also prove fatal for national identity in the long term.

The new provision in the Bill states that "any person can acquire citizenship on the basis of descent". This apart, "any person whose father is not Nepali has the right to acquire Nepali citizenship, if he or she speaks the language and has spent at least ten years in the country". However, the Citizenship Act 1963 says that "a person whose father is a Nepali citizen can only have the right to acquire the citizenship card". This departure is something the ruling and opposition parties should not have made since such provisions provide enough room for foreign nationals to acquire citizenship. Besides, the government should have at least had discussions on the floor and explored whether it was necessary to make such a change. The fear, which is not unfounded, is that such a provision is very vulnerable to manipulation, due to which, the country will have to offer citizenship to foreign nationals.

The ruling NC government must act for the benefit of the country rather than its own short term interests or for the interest of foreign nationals. For instance, since the government has failed to resolve the Bhutanese refugee problem and because the refugees have stayed in the country for about ten years, it follows that those among the hundred thousand refugees who have stayed as refugees for ten years will automatically become eligible for Nepalese citizenship if such a Bill gains the status of law. Is this acceptable ? There are so many Indians and expatriates who have been staying in Nepal since more than ten years. Should they all qualify to become citizens, and that too, without giving up their original citizenship ? How is it that these questions hardly figured while the amendment was being passed ?

The government must consider these matters seriously and if there is to be any amendment, it must be in the interest of the country. Or else the bill must be dumped.

Nepal-India ties : Combating terrorism

By Jagadish B Mathema

When Dr Harkha Gurung, an eminent geographer recommended in his report the introduction of passport system between Nepal and India long time back, there was an uproar and his view was denounced. The 1800 kilometres long open border between Nepal and India is a haven for terrorists, smugglers, criminals, dacoits and anti-national elements. They commit crime in one country and take shelter in the other.

Hostile relations between India and Pakistan due to the Kashmir problem has intensified intelligence activity involving both RAW and IS In Nepal. This has created an annoying and embarrassing situation for Nepal. The Cold War between India and Pakistan is being carried out in Nepali soil.

The arrest of Sikhs and Kashmiri terrorists reported in the newspapers, the capture of RDX and explosives from time to time, the raid on 9 January, 1994 at Hotel Karnali because of suspicious activities of Pakistanis, the arrest of Yakub Menon accused of the bomb blast in 1993 in Bombay, the murder of the parliamentarian Mirza Dilsad Beg in 1998 at Siphal, the hijacking episode of IC 814, the arrest of Pakistani diplomat Asam Sabbor who was involved in a fake currency racket are some examples of criminal activities in Nepal.

The Indian intelligence report "Nepal Game Plan" which was leaked intentionally to India Today is testimony of the fact that Nepal is being used as a playground for intelligence activities. The report has implicated several prominent, politicians, industrialists, businessmen, bureaucrats, and people connected with media, who are alleged to have received "ISI" funds to fan anti-India activities. It is interesting to note that this "Nepal Game Plan" report was leaked at the same time, when the Chief Secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the National Security Advisor Mr Brajesh Mishra were visiting Kathmandu.

In its editorial, The Kathmandu Post wrote "The report makes feeble and unfounded attempts to show that many Nepalese are either directly linked with ISI activities" or "receive ISI funds to fan anti-Indian activities. This is nothing but a long drawn out Indian plan to oppress and cripple this country economically and politically so that it will succumb to New Delhi’s pressure and become its vassal state."

The recent opinion survey conducted by Media Services International (MSI) revealed that a resounding majority of Nepalese (85.5 percent) want the traditional open border with India regulated with 42.9 percent of respondents calling for introduction of passport system between the two countries . Nepal has time and again raised the issue of open border with India. Nepal has also suggested various measures to monitor the border so that undesirable incidents such as cross border criminal activities as well as infiltration of terrorists can be minimized.

There is no denying that terrorist and criminal activities have increased tremendously in the recent past in Nepal. The "Nepal Game Plan" report has alleged Pakistani involvement in encouraging anti-Indian elements, using Nepalese media to publicise anti-Indian propaganda, to assist Muslim radicals, including mobilization of Kashmiri terrorist groups as well as Sikh terrorists to unleash terrorist activities against India.

The arrest made by Nepal Police of some suspicious people with explosives in the recent past indicates the existence of criminals who are involved in such heinous activities and are working against India.

According to RAW, Kashmiri guerillas belonging to the terrorist group Harkat Ul Mujaheddin, which hijacked IC-814 which was on its way to New Delhi from Kathmandu has opened its branch in Nepal. The branch headed by Habib Ansari, resident of Kapilvastu held a secret meeting on 13 January, 2000 in Chandragadhi (Jhapa) and set up units at Damak, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Hetauda.

The just concluded meeting between Indian and Nepalese officials headed by the respective Home Secretaries have agreed to activate the related departments to combat terrorism and criminal activities.

Terrorism is a common problem in both countries. Therefore, it is necessary for both to combat terrorism and criminal activities jointly.

The same meeting also resulted in an agreement to introduce identity card for people travelling by air to help maintain peace and security and this is for the benefit of both nations.

Indian nationals travelling by air should produce identity cards issued by State or Central government of India or passport or identity issued for casting vote, or the identity document issued by Indian Embassy. Nepalese nationals travelling by air to India should also produce citizenship certificate, or passport or identity issued for casting vote or an identity document issued by Nepalese authorities.

Although the system of identity card cannot be introduced along 1800 kilometres long border between Nepal and India due to cultural and religious reasons, local coordination committees will be activated to control crime and terrorism.

With the introduction of these new measures, it is believed that unrestricted increase in crime and terrorism will be decreased significantly in the days ahead.

What colour can do for you

By Bhaskar Adhikari

Can colour temper our thoughts, raise our spirits, impart serenity or conversely, kindle excitement? Do car drivers feel it a greater challenge to pass a red, maroon or yellow car than a black, blue or green one? Will a red dress appear closer than a blue one the same distance away? The answer to all these questions is "yes". Each colour has a decided influence of its own.

Modern chemistry has unleashed wonderful new colour possibilities, hues as fragile as mist or as acid and high voltage as a fluorescent flash. Industries have been quick to take advantage of them, particularly of their psychological impact. Showrooms, offices, place interiors, cars, and restaurants now blossom in shades carefully created for their emotional impact on the customer. Women, however, have been slower to utilize fully the powers of persuasion inherent in colour.

In general terms: Red is exhilarating; it stimulates the brain, the pulse, even the appetite (that is why restaurant decorations often feature some variation of red). Shades of pink have festive connotations. Yellow is energizingly conducive to conviviality a sense of well-being. Green, the colour of nature, is soothing refreshing and abates excitement. Blue induces emotional response. Purple reconciles the far ends of the spectrum.

Blue and red are enigmatic, dramatic and black, we should beware of it since it absorbs light and tends to drain light from the face.

Moreover, any colour offset by a contrasting or harmonizing one changes its nature sometimes drastically.

Another point to remember is that the colour of the skin changes during the day. In the morning it is on the pale side and becomes rosier by mid-morning.

Towards mid-afternoon there is a letdown in total intensity; and by bedtime the skin again grows comparatively pale. Thus a woman may wear a colour in the evening that does not become her at lunch, and look stunning at teatime in the same colours that would be unsuitable at breakfast.

With practice, you can really see colour with a fresh, appraising eye and be alive to its nuances and radiance. And at that point, colour is no longer a problem but a source of fun and experimentation.

Rumours, reports and riddles

By M R Josse

Assorted rumours and reports always fly thick and fast in Kathmandu while nagging or unsolved riddles constitute a sturdy staple of the political journalist’s challenging diet.

Rumours: Let’s now take a recent sampling of those three particular R’s, beginning with rumours.

At a gathering last week, a reporter came up to this columnist and, rather breathlessly disclosed that he’d heard from a reliable source that there would be some stunning political development on the seventh of Srawan, the day, he said, King Birendra is scheduled to return after a routine health check in London.

A week or so earlier, at another and larger reception, a former prime minister -- name withheld purposely -- hinted that "something" (read: drastic and sudden political change) would happen within three months.

At the same chattering, Bacchanalian event, one was repeatedly and rhetorically questioned by a variety of characters -- "how long is this awful situation going to continue" -- all of them suggesting, in one way or another, that a political "accident" of sorts is inevitable, if not actually imminent.

In fact, for more than a year now, off and on, one has heard similar rumblings in the by-lanes, parlours and offices of this dear but dirty metropolis of ours.

Equally intriguing are rumours now floating around in some political circles suggesting that, in the context of Indian national security adviser Brajesh Mishra’s audience with King Birendra last month, New Delhi is absolutely "fed up" with Nepalese political parties and their leadership and would now prefer, as in the days of yore, to deal with the palace!

So, what does all that add up to, if anything? One has no way of prophesying the precise course of events in the days to come. One is nevertheless strongly reminded of Thomas Carlyle’s wry, succinct observation: "History, a distillation of rumour."

Now, let’s move on to the second R. There is, for starters, the report that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is to begin his Indian pilgrimage on August 1.

Closely related is the news story that, following talks the other day between the home secretaries of Nepal and India, travel documents would be required for air
travel between the two countries, come October 1.

Reports: Strangely enough -- or perhaps not so surprising -- such a brilliant innovation is not to apply to the porous Nepal-India border across which thousands upon thousands of Nepalese and Indians nimbly cross to and from every single day of the year.

In view of the shrill and persistent clamour that has been made in official India and by her "independent" media about the utterly unspeakable creatures that cross into Nepal undetected to bring wrack and ruin on Hindustan, how very bizarre, indeed!

Consider also that only recently an opinion poll conducted by Media Services International, crammed to the gills with veteran media wallahs, not only came up with the finding that more than 85 percent of the respondents called for regulating that border but that nearly 43 percent actually suggested the introduction of a passport system to do so.

Also take into account that members of the Nepalese Muslim community -- more or less all dubbed by India Today’s notorious "Nepal Gameplan" report as ISI agents -- went public the other day demanding that a visa system be immediately implemented along the Nepal-India frontier.

Moving on to other pastures, recall, if you will, that former Prime Minister Marich Man Singh Shrestha was reported by an English weekly as threatening to open up his "black box" of Nepal-India relations soon -- elliptically suggesting thereby that he would soon reveal the security demands that New Delhi had imposed on Kathmandu before the Jana Andolan climaxed in 1990.

Another reportage titbit that screams for attention is that Maoist supremo Prachanda used an Indian passport to travel to London for a meeting of the Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) a couple of months or so ago.

Another has to do with the report that former prince, Dhirendra Shah, inaugurated a Nepal Rashtrabad Sangh function where a Raj Parishad Standing Committee member, inter alia, stated:

"None of the governments formed after the restoration of democracy has succeeded in providing relief to the people...Political leaders are mired
in corruption and the country’s law and order situation is deteriorating day by day."

Finally, we have Dr Baburam Bhattarai’s scorching article in Jana Ahwan where he lambasts India Today’s "Nepal Gameplan" report by describing it bluntly as "Indian intelligence, including
RAW’s, ‘gameplan’ for the ‘Sikkimization’ of Nepal."

Riddles: Coming to riddles, here’s number one: How does the report that Prachanda travelled on an Indian passport to London sit with Baburam Bhattarai’s scorching public charge that India wants to "Sikkimize" Nepal? Riddle number two: How is that leaks about the home secretary talks say Maoists receive arms and training in India, even while Maoists themselves publicly call for creating a national front of patriotic elements to fight against "Indian expansionists"?

Riddle number three: Is there any nexus between the extreme Left and ultra Right’s simultaneous charge that the multi-party system has failed miserably -- including that their leaders are men of straw with feet of clay?

Riddle number four: why is it that both India and the Maoists seem to have suddenly developed a softness for the palace? If that is correct, which force will the palace ultimately choose?

Having noted the rumours and reports above, drop a line, dear reader, if you can unravel the answers to the four riddles enumerated above. Yours truly would dearly love to know.