Rajesh Mishra
of Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is coming on a four-day visit to India on 31 May. In India, his image was made of a leader inclined towards China. Nepal’s relations with India were not good during his first term as Prime Minister. This time after 5 months of becoming the PM, no such image should be made of him, so before coming here, he had rejected the invitation of China’s ‘Boao Forum for Asia’.
Border Dispute: There is an open border of 1800 km between Nepal and India. The Sugauli Border Treaty was signed between the two in 1816 after battles between the East India Company and the Nepalese Gurkhas. But for some time there is a dispute regarding the western-northern border point of Nepal.
- The western boundary is considered to be the Mahakali river. Nepal claims that the western boundary is Kalapani, which was in Nepal after 1816. It has been occupied by India since around the time of the Sino-Indian War in the 1960s.
- Along with this, Nepal has also raised a dispute regarding Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh area. Being contiguous with China, this area is a tri-nation border point, which has special strategic importance.
- Confusion increased when India showed its share of Kalapani in the new map in 2019 after the removal of the special state status from Kashmir.
- When India started building a highway in the disputed area, Nepal’s internal politics became more heated. The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli brought a proposal for a new map of Nepal in Parliament.
- On June 20, 2020, the Nepali Parliament amended the constitution on the new map of Nepal. In the new map, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani have been described as part of Nepal.
This step of Nepal was not liked in India and bitterness started appearing in the relationship between the two. However, the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to India in April last year, followed by PM Modi’s visit to Nepal in May, has created an atmosphere of trust between the two countries. Prachanda’s visit is expected to bring more heat in the relationship.
Old Treaty: Apart from this, the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty has to be reviewed. Nepal wants a change in this.
- The first Prime Minister of Nepal, Mohan Shamsher Rana, had signed a friendship treaty with India before being removed from power during Pandit Nehru’s time.
- Mohan Shamsher and Indian Ambassador Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan signed this treaty on 31 July 1950.
- In Nepal, it is believed that the ‘protocol’ of the signatory itself is not correct. To save power, the Ranas made a treaty with India, which weakens Nepal’s sovereign authority.
- Eminent Persons Group was formed in 2016 with the consent of both the governments to give opinion on the treaty of 1950 and many other subjects. The governments of both the countries kept 4-4 people in it.
- This committee has prepared its report in 2018, but the Government of India has shown reluctance to accept that report. Due to this, this issue is also pending for a long time.
Awaiting Verdict: Discussion is going on for the next 25 years agreement for power trade in Nepal-India. India started buying power from Nepal for the first time after Deuba’s visit last year. Nepal is asking India for a way to sell electricity to Bangladesh, so Bangladesh has also made a similar demand. It is possible that a decision will be taken on this during Prachanda’s visit. Nepal has also been demanding air route from India. Apart from this, there is a possibility of agreement in hydro-power project, Siliguri-Jhapa petroleum pipeline construction, railway and connectivity sector.
India and Nepal have very old and mythological relations. During his visit to Nepal, PM Modi had said that even our Ram is incomplete without Nepal. It is obvious that the relations between the two neighbors will also be complete only when Delhi and Kathmandu sit and solve all the problems.
(The writer is Delhi Bureau Chief, Kantipur Media Group, Nepal)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own.