National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

Need for Accommodation

Prime minister Thapa seems to be unable to convince Indian leadership that only stable and prosperous Nepal can guarantee India’s interests

By KESHAB POUDEL

They talked, shook hand and smiled at the photo ops in the Indian capital New Delhi but the personal warmth and closeness portrayed by Nepalese prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is yet to translate into the actual state of affairs in the bilateral relations.

Surrounded by India in three sides, Nepal shares common democratic values and ideals of rule of law including centuries old harmonies in religion and cultural ties with its neighbor. However, these closely binding factors hardly find any place in building understanding required to develop cordial relations between the two countries.

PM Thapa (left) and Vajpayee : Treading carefully

Nepal, which also shares 1,400 km long border with China in the north, is the only country in South Asia with which India has so many commonalities. These factors, whether one likes or dislikes, are also compelling Nepal to maintain close ties with India.

When one reads the views expressed by influential Indian scholars, former foreign office mandarins and media personnel, extreme and hostile attitude prevails over moderate and accommodative factors. Nepalese leaders, too, failed to win over moderate and accommodative Indians by successfully explaining their real geographical positions and compulsions.

Although the two countries’ relations are more informal in nature, both sides deal only in formal and official manner. Despite such proximity, Nepalese head of the state and head of the governments wait for formal invitations to visit India and vice versa.

Despite concerns expressed by Indian sides that prolonging internal political instability and chaotic situation in Nepal will have direct implications to India, adequate sincerity is lacking in such expression. “We are supporting Nepal to tackle the Maoist violence by providing military hardware, training and other assistance including limiting the activities of Maoists. We handed over many Maoist leaders in the past, but your government released them during negotiations,” said a senior diplomat at Lainchaur. “Right now cooperation and understanding at all levels between the two countries is growing.”

Some Nepalese find nothing has changed in the Indian policy. “Diplomacy is not what they say but what they do,” said an analyst. “If Nepal receives ‘sincere and genuine’ support from India, it will need no guns and ammunitions but even sticks will be enough to maintain order in Nepal.”

Although prime minister Thapa visited India and talked on bilateral matters with his Indian counterpart prime minister Vajpayee, things remains unchanged in the context of state to state affairs. Although the Indian prime minister Vajpayee and heads of Indian mission based in Nepal have shown signs of moderation and accommodation towards its northern neighbor, it is yet to materialize into reality.

“In one to one meeting Nepalese prime minister and Indian prime minister openly discussed all issues of bilateral relations and Indian side has also shown concern in the rising Maoist activities in the southern plain,” said senior official at Baluwatar, who visited with Thapa, on condition of anonymity.

Interestingly, just a few days before the beginning of the visit by Nepalese prime minister Thapa to India, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal went to Lucknow, India and met the CPN-Maoist leaders there. The disclosure by the general secretary Nepal about his meeting with Maoist leaders in India seems to have raised suspicion on Indian’s diplomatic stand regarding Nepal in the mind of common people as well as policy makers.

Although prime minister Thapa avoided to comment on the matter knowing that it will create irritations, Nepalese newspapers were full of coverage and lengthy interview of Nepal and Maoist leaders even as Thapa was in New Delhi urging for Indian support to bring normalcy in Nepal.

Indian diplomatic mission in Kathmandu had made all kinds of efforts to convince Nepalese authorities and common people that they are with the government in dealing with insurgency but the Lucknow meeting has thrown cold waters over such endeavors.

Weak and lawless Nepal can never be in the interest of India just as strong and economically powerful India is in Nepal’s interest. There requires strong understanding at all levels in Nepal and India keeping in mind each other’s limitation.

“Certain level of understanding has developed between the two countries but it is still too little to make any effect on Indian policies towards Nepal,” said a foreign relations analyst. “Since Nepal also shares the border with China, it cannot totally ignore the latter by making any arrangements affecting its security.”

Nepal’s problem is not do with anything else than its geographical location, since India sees security lapses in Nepal could direct affect its own security. This sensitivity of India also needs to be addressed.

As long as moderate sides in Nepal and India do not take existing commonalities as their strength and order and stability as asset, the persons with extreme opinion will not permit the strengthening of better understanding between the two neighbors –which have strong and inseparable cultural, religious, social, economic and geographic proximity.