‘Nepal Game Plan’
Pathologically Malicious

By Prakash Dahal

THE media doesn’t always speak the truth. And, some sections of the Indian media, rarely do so when it comes to talk about Nepal, its northern neighbor which, they know, has no power to retaliate save regretting.

Lengthy Report

The other day, India Today, an Indian magazine put a lengthy report on web site and dubbed it ‘Nepal game plan’. Touted as RAW findings (India’s intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing), the Internet version has gone to an unprecedented length this time to paint Nepalese in ISI colours (Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter Service Intelligence).

The India Today magazine, by carrying the alleged RAW findings, has tried to attach ISI tags to some Nepalese and put Pakistani berets on the heads of Nepalese politicians, businessmen and even journalists.

If the world is to go by the "truth" that the officially close Indian media, India Today, then they may be surprised to find no Nepalese in Nepal. Because, the ISI blurred look of some sections of the Indian media and their myopic minds can see ISI shadow on the faces of every Nepalese living in the Himalayan Kingdom. Therefore, all they can see is either Indians or Pakistanis—and no Nepalese in the 24.5 million Nepalese living in this country.

They think that there are no Nepalese in Nepal and one who doesn’t agree to the Indian interests, he can be no one but a Pakistani. A Nepali can talk in favor Nepal so long it doesn’t go in conflict with Indian interest. And, the moment it does, this Nepai becomes a Pakistani agent in the ISI blurred look of some Indian media. The attempt of some sections of the Indian media has been to polarise and portray Nepalese as either RAW-fed or ISI-fed people, and not a citizen of an independent sovereign country.

And, this seems to be an age old and ever-maligning perception of some sections of the Indian media.

Only recently, in the wake of the highjack of an Indian airliner over Indian airspace, one of the many Nepalese passengers going through the terrible ordeals in Afghanistan’s Kandahar airport was quickly declared by the "truth-telling" Zee news as a notorious smuggler—and later a part of the highjackers.

The world knew that it was untrue, but the Zee news neither deemed it necessary to apologise nor they ever felt sorry for it.

Earlier, with the Mahakali treaty initialed between Nepal and India, the entire nation was polarised for and against it. Those who remained apprehensive about the accords with India; their fear emanated from the earlier water pacts struck with India in the past where Nepal had been the loser; urged the Nepalese authorities around the table to drive harder bargains. The experts in this country tried to give a microscopic look to the deals and raised their dissension. To which the response of some sections of the Indian media was- you guess it- all the dissension were Pakistan or ISI sponsored.

It has been the same with the issue of Kaalapani - a strategic location in the Nepalese territory- where India has deployed its troops. And, the Nepalese who raise their voice demanding the withdrawal of Indian troops had been portrayed as Pakistani-inspired by some sections of the Indian media.

In fact, it should cease to cause any alarm to the Nepalese by what some Indian media say about them. The pathological allegations made by some sections of the Indian media against Nepal calling it as one harboring ISI mercenaries, ISI backed terrorists, running what they call training camps, and letting its land for what they call terrorist and weaponry infiltration has been too much, and therefore, it should cease to hold any water for Nepalese.

The cause for alarm to Nepal and the Nepalese should be there when a bunch of Nepalese vernacular media begin dancing to the tunes of that same sections of the Indian media as it is being perceived. If and when such weekly Nepali local newspapers start rinsing dirty linen, supplied to them by that sections of the Indian media that indulge in Nepal-bashing games, on the heads of Nepalese politicians, businessmen and journalists, then it becomes a cause for alarm.

And if, such politicians, journalists and the businessmen, for reasons best known to them, still keep mum and do not come out strongly against such baseless allegations leveled against them, then that sections of the Indian media will prove true in calling the Nepalese, mercenaries.

Some section of the Indian media know that they quite often carry baseless news about Nepal, and they perhaps know it better that few Nepalese may help them in truth-coating to such news. The Nepalese’ tragedy lies here.

So far the designs of maligning Nepalese politicians, businessmen, journalists by sweeping them under the ISI carpet goes, some section of the Indian media know that they are not telling the truth. Had they been true this issue would have had been, like in the past, discussed at the highest levels of the two friendly neighbours. It may be recalled that when this imbroglio blew up in the Nepalese media, courtesy, the India Today, no less a personality than the Security Advisor and Principal Secretary of the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee, Brijesh Mishra was in town and holding talks with high government officials in Nepal. And, before he departed, he not only completely washed his hands over the so-called Indian intelligence agency’s report, the "Nepal-game plan" carried prominently by that Indian magazine, India Today, but even went on the record of saying that the Indian government was not in the know of such a report.

Less Importance

The fact is Indian media—and not excluding the Indian intelligence authorities—know better than any others about what Nepal and Nepalese are. As such, if some sections of the Indian media keep on indulging in their Nepal-bashing games based on filmsy and baseless reports that even the Indian authorities have to take them with a pinch of salt, then what they tell is less important because they know and the Nepalese should know that when they tell lies they tell it for different purposes.

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