 |
|
| Kathmandu, Thursday January 02, 2003 Paush 18, 2059. |
|
A welcome gesture
After a few hiccups, the government of India has
given permission to a Belgian Aircraft to use its airspace for carrying sophisticated arms
to Nepal. Importing arms in the name of quelling domestic violence is certainly not a
happy situation for Nepal, but the latest gesture of India has to be taken note of in a
different context. It was not long ago, that India had imposed an economic blockade and
virtually flexed its muscles when Nepal imported few sets of Chinese weapons, purely for
its internal requirement about 14 years ago.
There are lots of misgivings about the scope and
intent of the agreement signed between Nepal and India in 1965 which certainly gives India
the right to inspect arms bought from a third country and imported through India. A
land-locked country like Nepal would almost always have to use Indian surface or air-space
for most of its imports including arms. The content and thrust of the agreement should be
taken as Nepal’s intent that it would not be posing any threat to India’s
security. Neither the 1988 arms purchase from China, nor the recent agreement with Belgium
was in any way intended against India. Unlike in the previous case, India’s objective
assessment of the situation and permission to the Belgian aircraft should therefore, be
taken as a positive gesture towards promoting bilateral trust and confidence.
In fact, the government of Nepal has brought to
the notice of the government of India and the international community that the import of
arms from Belgium was meant to be used against the Maoist insurgents, and not at all
directed against the security of any country including Nepal’s immediate neighbours.
The deal between the previous government headed by Sher Bahadur Deuba and the government
of Belgium was clinched when Nepal’s move to use arms in the scale it deemed fit had
the backing of the international community including India.
No doubt, army or other security agencies would
need the best equipment and training against any possibly insurgency or crime—organised
or unorganised, but it is doubtful whether the import of arms from Belgium will have a
desired impact. While there is always a possibility of the targeted group (in this case
Maoists), trying to acquire matching arms clandestinely and the country turning into an
‘arms bazaar’, this might also ultimately put the peace process in jeopardy.
However, at a time, when the world is united against ‘terrorism’ and the Maoists
are seen as part of it the arms import by the government would not be criticised.
Therefore, the onus to take the insurgency back within the perimeter of a ‘political
movement’ by effectively stopping the indiscriminate use of violence lies with the
Maoists. As prospect for peace brightens, the need for arms deal will automatically be
reduced. |
