Colin Powell said it !

The United States Secretary of State Colin Powell's fresh South Asia trip has to a greater extent contributed in relaxing the threat of a possible war in between the two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, that was largely looming over in the South Asian sky. This gets amply reflected from the changed tones of the leaders of the two inimical South Asian giants after Powell's visit to their respective countries. In sending a very high powered delegation to South Asia, the United States has given the impression to the population of this part of the world that the US was in reality interested in lessening the tension in between Pakistan and India and that the US also attached great importance and significance to its relations with smaller countries of South Asia such as Nepal. In doing so, the US amply hinted last week that its relations with the smaller countries of South Asia will not be "seen" through other nation's eyes any more.

We don't understand the reason why some of our professional colleagues preferred to negate the gains that Nepal definitely bagged from the just concluded US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit. Nepal gained immensely from this visit becomes clear, firstly, by the fact that this visit brought a very high level US authority here well after a span of decades and decades. This could be described as an act that gave a new lease of life to our almost "sinking diplomacy". That we benefited extensively from this visit should now become clear from the fact that with the presence of Colin Powell in Kathmandu a very positive message around the world has possibly been already conveyed in the sense that the people around the globe will henceforth consider Nepal as a place worth visiting. This will undoubtedly give a boost to our already sunken tourism industry. This is not a less achievement indeed.

Thirdly, in inviting the US Secretary of State to Nepal, this country got an extraordinary opportunity to brief the overall political situation prevailing of late more so after the imposition of the state of emergency.

However, what financial gains in concrete terms this " beggar country" bagged from Powell visit is not our concern indeed. But then yet what could be easily understood is that Powell must have assured this nation that time permitting his country would provide some tangible support at least in curbing the threat of Maoists insurgency. If it does happen would be no less help for a country like Nepal for whom the Maoists insurgency has already become a costly economics.

Apart from these benefits tentatively going into the pockets of the Deuba regime, the silent majority of the population too indirectly benefited from Colin Powell's Nepal visit. This lot benefited in the sense that the US Secretary of State bluntly told the Nepali establishment to provide good governance and control rampant corruption at the highest political echelons. This meant that the US administration was well aware of this Nepali malaise that had been impeding the social, economic and political growth of the nation. Colin Powel surprised many a brain when he explicitly told the Nepali establishment that the sudden spurt in the numerical strength of the Maoists' insurgency in Nepal was due to the absence of employment opportunities to the Nepali youths which apparently could have attracted this lot to join the band of the insurgents. All in all, Powel amply hinted that weaknesses lay in the functioning of the government and that sincere efforts aimed at these might ease the Nepal government's present day problems.

Colin Powel in the process did also made it abundantly clear that the tenure of the emergency should be a short one and that even at time of the emergency the basic rights of the people should be taken proper care of. This means that the US administration wishes the emergency to come to an end soon and that it remains committed to the preservation of the citizen's rights, which were due to them.

Last but not the least, the visiting US dignitary's choice to visit the Royal Nepal Army Headquarters and listen to their comments regarding their mobilization in containing the threats of the Maoists insurgency minutes ahead of his departure has definitely stunned the nation's so-called powerful politicians. Understandably this lot had expected that Powel would wish to listen to them as well. However, this did not materialize to the utter displeasure of the Nepali politicians. This means that Powell knew in advance (or could have been briefed by his officials in Kathmandu) that in today's scheme of things in Nepal only two institutions were important and could be relied upon: the constitutional monarch and the Royal Nepali Army.

If this is so then what could be guessed in advance is that both of these institutions have succeeded in securing a place in the hearts of the men handling the US administration at the moment. This conversely should mean that military-turned diplomat's choice to visit the Army Headquarters would continue to haunt the Nepali leaders for quite some time to come. This event will in all its likelihood attract attention both of the leaders and the Nepali media.

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