NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

The Nepal Game Plan

The "secret" Indian intelligence report implicating several big Nepalese personalities, officials and media of having ISI links creates a furor

By A CORRESPONDENT

The pin-drop silence witnessed in the recent Nepal-India relations has suddenly been disrupted by deafening revelations.

The publication of "secret report" that implicates many from leading politicians to rising officials and media of entertaining the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in the June 12th issue of India Today and in its internet website has been seen just as a propaganda against small neighboring country Nepal.

Prepared by Indian intelligence agencies, the document titled "The Nepal Gameplan" says the ISI is actively involved in Nepal with a multi-pronged strategy.

The report accuses ISI of "exploitation of anti-India groups/lobbies/organizations/political parties, especially extreme left and right wing elements, for creating discord between India and Nepal and fanning anti-India sentiments; manipulation of the Nepalese media for drumming up anti-India propaganda; promotion of Islamic fundamentalism and mobilization of the Muslim community, which is mainly concentrated along the border for anti-India activities; utilization of Nepalese soil as a springboard for launching terrorist strikes against India with the help of Kashmiri and Sikh extremist organizations and by exploiting the readily available infrastructure provided by the existence of criminal syndicates and smuggling networks along the Indo-Nepal border."

Strangely, the report damages credibility of some of its traditional allies as most of the name revealed are widely known to be close friends or sympathizers of India.

"If India has such a strong net-work of intelligence how ISI is functioning within Nepal is a matter for investigation," said a political analyst.

Nepali Congress General Secretary Sushil Koirala, Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka, central committee member Nona Koirala, MP Bijay Gachhadar, General Secretary of Marxist Leninist Bamdev Gautam and President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Surya Bahadur Thapa are some of the names that figure in the report as having some kind of links with ISI agents.

If the report is any indication, CPN-UML is the only big political party which does not have any hob-nobbing with the Pakistani intelligence agency.

"It is very strange to see that the Indian strategy is gradually weakening its ties with traditional allies like monarchy and other political parties including Nepali Congress and Rastriya Prajatantra Party," said a political analyst. " Due to failure of Indian policy, Talibans in Afghanistan and Tamil Tigers in northern Sri Lanka have already appeared and now it is systematically assaulting the liberal political forces in its northern neighbor Nepal."

The report, some see, has cleared the picture by branding some individuals pro-Indian or anti-Indian.

Following the visit of Nepalese foreign minister Chakra Prasad Bastola to India recently, both countries claimed that they have started afresh to strengthen relations of friendship and mutual trust.

The abrupt release of the secret government document through the Indian weekly is seen as a meaningful move especially as it comes on the eve of the visit by Brajesh Mishra, national security advisor and principal secretary to Indian prime minister. The India Today's report also states that Mishra will be visiting Nepal carrying with him the report titled "Pakistan's Anti-India Activities In Nepal".

"The problems with us is we are always reacting to Indian policies. We don't do anything to pre-empt them," said professor of political science at Tribhuwan University Shridhar Khatri. "Overall we don't have that much of conflict of interests but there are some real issues which we have never sorted out."

Trouble in recent Nepal-India relations is a part of suspicions and distrusts India has towards its small northern neighbor. Ever since the Indian independence, Nepal-India relations has always been marked by suspicion.

Whether it was during the time of Panchayat system or present multi party democracy, Indian attitude towards Nepal remains unchanged. As a small India-locked country, Nepal cannot harm the interest of its southern big neighbor.

A section of Nepal's intellectuals had supported the BJP keeping in mind that India's attitude towards world's only Hindu kingdom would soften if it came to power but the relation between the two countries further worsened.

Some see the report was "published in a planned manner" at a time when Mishra is pushing the new security perception through the BJP line. The question now is: Does Nepal want to buy the security perception as seen by India or by BJP?

As the chilled bilateral relation was in the process of thawing, the report has once again created confusion. "We will not allow Nepalese soil to be used for any kind of terrorist activities against our neighbor," said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at a press conference when asked about the news report in India Today. The prime minister further clarified that the accusations were totally baseless and false. It is a pity that Indian media is trying to hurt Nepal-India relation.

South Asia is passing through one of the worst phases with three nuclear powers fighting to establish their supremacy and smaller countries like Nepal are caught in a complex situation. Nepal itself is facing terrorism and Bhutanese refugees problems in the country but Indian intelligence report ignores them.

As long as mutual trust is not developed between the two countries, Nepal-India relations will continue to remain chilled whoever is in power.