[Below today are last night's two email discussions: one by the blogger himself and the other by one of the contributors to The Himalayan Voice's list - Shekhar Dhungel, who writes Nepalese People are now required to scrap the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship - 1950 and argues - only barring the border and introducing passport system will secure Nepal's sovereignty. He also offers striking examples from two north eastern Indian states, Nagaland and Mijoram where, Indian people themselves from other states require special permit to visit. - The Blogger ]
Following PM Narendra Modi's
successful visit to Nepal ,
one of the talks of the town is possible review of Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship - 1950, which political pundits tell is 'lopsided' or favours India .
If we believed in what Kathmandu media have reported, PM
Modi was visibly unhappy taking questions whether any review as such of the
treaty was necessary.
One of the Maoist Chiefs (there
are at least two of them currently and it seems third one will take charge
anytime soon !) told in 2008, he wanted to scrap the treaty or "replace it with a new one in the changed context". But interestingly, however, this
leader was in Singapore
for his wife's treatment and had flown
home hastily to meet and greet visiting UPA External Affairs Minster Salman Khurshid at the Dwarikas, leaving the patient at the hospital to return
immediately the same day or tomorrow. At least three former Nepali prime ministers including Mr. Prachanda 'paid their visit' to Mr. Khurshid, who was
on a-one-day visit to Nepal
July 9, 2013 and which media
blasted that there had been 'serious breach of protocal' !
That being said and now, what can be expected from such leaders ? Let's take another example who and how the Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi, whom people were heard telling a racist, was appointed Chief Executive of Nepal ? PM Modi requires to immediately dump such people inNew
Delhi , if he is really a pragmatic leader that has now
won the hearts and minds of Nepalese people (none had been able to do so in the
past).
That being said and now, what can be expected from such leaders ? Let's take another example who and how the Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi, whom people were heard telling a racist, was appointed Chief Executive of Nepal ? PM Modi requires to immediately dump such people in
Prof. S. D. Muni, talked to BBC
on whether any review of the treaty was actually needed and among many things, he said, 'Indian
nationals can't buy any property in Nepal
whereas Nepalese people can do so in India '.
This is a valid point he makes here but
what type of a country is Nepal
? Is it a buffer country or can it exercise the 'rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans' or have free access to
the sea according to UN General Assembly resolution 1028 (Xl) ?
Last year July, more than 1 year
ago, nine blasts in 30 minutes rocked Bodha Gaya. India 's
security concerns or worries are genuine. Corruption all over has badly 'defiled
and destroyed' Nepal . Very recently, two Pakistani nationals were expelled from Kathmandu but no idea whether the
concerned officers will face any charge whatever because that is the country, where
the rule of law does exist only in
papers !
By the way, in February 1973, had Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi asked Nepalese Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista to report her the details
about his, four months earlier, that was November 1972 China visit ? PM Bista seems to have complied
with. These are the issues what the
Nepalese people want to talk about. But
has Nepal
prepared any draft 'to replace the 1950 treaty' yet ?
In Kalyan Dev Bhattarai's
language, "corrupt leaders are fooling around humbly patient Nepalese
people" and it is worth mentioning here also Mr. Modi as saying, "निर्णय आप किजिए । आप अपने नेतृत्वका परिचय दिजिए" and 'please don't do any politics with
the 1950 treaty'. Mr. Modi sees leadership vacuum in Kathmandu ,
doesn't he ? Because Mr. Khurshid had to go down there and order Mr. Regmi to
hand on the helm.
Whatever have come out in the media includingBBC Hindi Service etc. on 'Indo-NepalTreaty of Peace and Friendship 1950' - recently;
India
much and by and large it is an unequal treaty between a significantly large and
visibly small country.
Whatever have come out in the media including
a) the articles 5 and 6 offer India
high-handedness over Nepal
or in other words make the treaty unequal. For example - Nepal
bought "warlike material and equipment" from China
without 'permission' from India
and as one of the results of which Nepalese monarchy got uprooted in 2008. Why
would Nepal
solicit any suggestions from whomever to protect herself if both countries have
already "acknowledged and respected the complete sovereignty" of each
other ? and;
b) article 7 makes Nepal
even weaker on the so-called "reciprocal basis". Nepal can't afford
doing what is specified in the article but India can, and she has to because, she
invariably requires those sturdy Gorkha fighters to protect her borders.( PM
Modi while addressing Nepalese Parliament said those sturdy Gorkha fighters - 'Bahadurs'- quite a few times and Nepalese
Constituent Assembly Members initially seemed disconcerted because 'Bahadur' for
Nepalese folks in India, is a degenerating word. Why should Mr. Modi have not
known it ? Please take a note here - Mr. Jit Bahadur Saru Magar is called a 'Bahadur'
and Mr. Modi a 'Sahib' in Gujrat also.)
Whoever says whatever but, the
treaty favours
*
[अन्य तर्क बितर्कलाइ बिसाईदिउ । अब धेरै भयो नेपाली जनतालाइ
भुलाएर गोहीको आँशु झैँ राष्ट्रियताको नारामा यो सन्धिलाइ जोडेर राजनीति गरेको, पछिल्लो समयमा जो यो सन्धिको खारेजी मागगर्दै यसको बिरुद्धमा
नेपाली नागरिकको हत्यालुट ईत्यादि गर्दै थिए । अनि भारतबिरुद्ध सुरुंगयुद्ध
गर्ने भन्दैथिए, बस त्यहिबेला नेपाली नागरिकको सेन्टिमेन्टलाइ ब्ल्याकमेल गर्नेहरु
दिल्ली नजिक, उत्तर प्रदेशको नोयडामा
भारतीय राज्यको सुरक्षा र भत्तामा आलिसान
एपार्टमेन्टमा एस. डी. मुनिलाइ पंखा हम्किदै खितखित् गर्दैथिए ।]
लेखक शेखर ढुंगेल
हाल न्यूयोर्क,
संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका
हामीले अझै नबुझेको र बुझ्न धेरै ढिला भैसकेको कुरो के हो भने नदी समुन्द्रमा जति
छिरोश उसको अस्तित्व खत्तम हुन्न तर समुन्द्र नदीतर्फ बढ्यो भने नदीको अस्तित्व तत्काल
खत्तम हुन्छ । बेरोकतोक आवागमनको गम्भीर पक्षलाइ न त नेता न त कोही
वरिष्ठ बताउने पत्रकार महोदयहरुले नै बुझ्ने र बुझाउने प्रयत्न गर्नु भएको छ
।
आज यूरोप, अस्ट्रेलिया जस्ता देश हरु
आप्राबासीको बढ्दो संख्याले आफ्नो मौलिक अस्तित्व कसरी जोगाउने भनेर चिन्तित हुदैछन र नयाँ नयाँ आप्रबासी योजनाहरु तर्जुमा गर्दैछन । हामी
नेपालको सार्बभौम अस्तित्व एबम मौलिकतालाइ जोगाइराख्ने हो भने यो "बेरोकटोक"को
आवागमन नियम रोक्नुपर्छ । देशको नीति निर्माताहरुले, संघियताको नारा लगाउनेहरुले, जातीय वा क्षत्रिय स्वायत्त राज्यको मागगर्नेहरुले एकपटक पुरा दिन असन इन्द्रचौक
मासनगल्लि र उपत्यकाका सडकदेखि, साना ब्यबसाय एबम ठूला ब्यबसायदेखि होटल, ट्रावल एजेन्सीमा आबद्धहरुको संख्या र प्रभुत्व अध्ययन भ्रमण गर्नु भयो भने यो
बेरोकतोक सम्झौता नेपालकोलागि कति विस्फोटक भैसकेको छ राम्ररी बुझ्न सक्नुहुन्छ ।
दुई ४ लाख नेपालीले भारतमा पाएको जागीर वा सुबिधासंग स्वतन्त्र देशको अस्तित्व
साट्न सकिन्छ र ? देश संमृद्ध बनाउनुपर्छ , बिदेशिएका नेपालीलाइ
फिर्ता बोलाउनुपर्छ । र भारत-नेपाल राहदानी व्यवस्था लागुगराई बढीमा १५ नाका खुल्ला
राखी सीमानामा पर्खाल लगाउने प्रस्ताब राख्नु पर्छ । यदि कोही सच्चा देशभक्त छ भने अब समयले कोल्टे फेरिसक्यो
। तिब्बतबाट धेरै नाकाहरुमा सडक जोडिएको छ । नेपालको उत्तरी सिमा छुने धेरै सडकहरु बनिसकेका छन्, बन्दै पनि छन् । नेपाल
एक स्वतन्त्र, स्वाधिन राष्ट्रको रुपमा बिश्वमा स्थापित भै सक्यो । अब यो सन्धि
खारेज हुनु पर्छ । अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मान्यता
अनुरुप दुइ देशको बिचमा राहदानीको ब्यबस्था
हुनुपर्छ । यसो गर्दा खुल्ला सीमानाको कारण नेपालबाट भारत बिरुद्ध आतंककारी गतिबिधी
भएको भन्ने भारतीय आरोपबाट पनि मुक्ति मिल्न
सक्छ। भारतभित्र नै नागाल्याण्ड, मेजोरम जस्ता राज्यहरुमा
अन्य राज्यहरुबाट प्रवेश पाउन बिशेष 'पास' चाहिन्छ भने एक देशबाट अर्को देशमा प्रवेश गर्न किन राहदानी
चाहिदैन ?
अन्य तर्क बितर्कलाइ बिसाईदिउ । अब धेरै भयो नेपाली जनतालाइ भुलाएर गोहीको आँशु
झैँ राष्ट्रियताको नारामा यो सन्धिलाइ जोडेर राजनीति गरेको, पछिल्लो समयमा जो यो सन्धिको खारेजी मागगर्दै यसको बिरुद्धमा
नेपाली नागरिकको हत्यालुट ईत्यादि गर्दै थिए । अनि भारतबिरुद्ध सुरुंगयुद्ध
गर्ने भन्दैथिए, बस त्यहिबेला नेपाली नागरिकको सेन्टिमेन्टलाइ ब्ल्याकमेल गर्नेहरु
दिल्ली नजिक, उत्तर प्रदेशको नोयडामा
भारतीय राज्यको सुरक्षा र भत्तामा आलिसान
एपार्टमेन्टमा एस. डी. मुनिलाइ पंखा हम्किदै खितखित् गर्दैथिए ।
अब यो सन्धिको परिमार्जन वा बिकल्प तर्फ लाग्ने हो भने यो संक्रमणकालमा कमजोर सरकार
भएको अबस्थामा अनि राष्ट्रिय एकता लथालिङ्ग भएको अबस्थामा नेपाललाइ थप घाटा पर्नजाने
निश्चित छ । नेपाली नेता र दलमा कोही वा त्यस्तो
व्यक्तित्व छैन जसले नया सन्धिको खाका तयार गरी भारत समक्ष प्रस्तुत गरोस । तसर्थ मृतप्राय:
यो सन्धिलाइ खारेज गर्न राष्ट्रव्यापी बहस चलाउनु पर्छ ।
