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| Kathmandu, Monday December 30, 2002 Paush 15, 2059. |
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Arms for more violence ?
This is in response to the news story entitled
"India wants to inspect our arms", dated December 28, 2002, TKP. It was an
interesting story, especially for those who oppose the 1965 Defence Pact signed between
Nepal and India. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba decided to import arms from Belgium
instead of India. Nepal certainly needs arms to fight the Maoist guerrillas, but not the
arms that further escalate violence. The insurgency that began six years ago has claimed
over 7,500 lives, according to an official figure.
And we have the Bhutanese refugees. The long
overdue repatriation process of the refugees is frustrating. It is rumoured that the
refugees, too, are prepared to raise an armed struggle against the Druk regime. After the
death of CK Pradhan, the people of Darjeeling are also likely to resume the armed
struggle. The way violence is rising in the Himalayan region, it seems the entire region
may be submerged in violence, which may eventually be hard to contain.
There is no guarantee that the Maoist insurgency
will be eliminated once the Royal Nepal Army uses sophisticated guns. Rather, the use of
such arms will escalate violence to an extent that will engulf the entire Himalayan
region. So, it is better we think twice before using the Belgium-made arms.
Shree Malla
Lazimpat, Kathmandu |
