SECURITY AT AIRPORT

Flying Out Of Secrecy

An Indian minister's statement on  "a compromise" with Nepal on security at Kathmandu airport, comes as a blessing in disguise to the Nepalese people

BY A CORRESPONDENT   

The Indian minister of state for civil aviation, Chaman Lal Gupta last week created an uproar in Nepal. At the centre of the controversy was a report attributed to him. Mr. Gupta was reported to have said that Nepal has agreed in principle to allow Indian security forces at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Indian Airlines Plane : Controversial flight suspension.

That India was keen to have its forces at the airport is no secret. But whether it had made a formal proposal to Nepal remains a half-secret. Whether Nepal has agreed to such a proposal remained a complete secret.

Following the recent Kathmandu meeting of the joint working group on border management, speculations were rife that the two countries had reached at some sort of security agreement. Since India had severely criticised the security arrangement at the Tribhuvan Airport, in the wake of the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane last December, many believed that Nepal might have been pressurised into a security deal.  

While the formal joint press statement issued at the end of the meeting did speak little about any agreement, the Indian press reports  did suggest that Nepal agreed to enter into a security arrangement with its southern neighbour, including stationing Indian security personnel at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Neither the Nepalese officials nor their Indian counterparts bothered to confirm or deny these reports. The resultant confusion only helped fuel suspicion and mistrust in the mind of the Nepalese.

Viewed against this backdrop, the statement of the Indian minister of state of civil aviation should be seen as a blessing in disguise as far as Nepal-India relations are concerned.

Mr. Guptaí statement may have created uproar in Kathmandu. But it has also done a great service to Nepal.

It was only after his statement hit the headlines that the hitherto tight-lipped Shital Niwas broke its silence. Foreign Minister, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, categorically denied that Nepal has agreed to allow Indian security forces at the Tribhuvan International Airport. "The reports are totally false."

Had it not been for Mr. Guptaís statement, suspicion would have continued. And Dr. Mahat would not have felt the need to clarify that "Nepal is capable of providing all necessary security of international standard at the airport."

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