Bipin Deo: The root problem of Indo-Pak conflict is not procedural, it is structural. A knowledgeable foreign policy commentator, in a conversation, put it, “India has foreign policy and it has Pakistan policy” Now, however piquant that remark may sound, it nevertheless is a terse recognition of the reality. One looks at this reality either through congealed prejudice (hence the relation about bonafide and geniuses’ etc) or through almost atavistic fears (Leading to the entrapment reaction of governments) or as an extension of the internal factor.

Indo-Pak conflict is on the edifice of complexities; between majority and minority, between secular and Islamic, between democracy and dictatorship, between Hinduism and Islam, between USSR and the United States and so on. The conflict over seven decades has been nurtured and nourished by those powers who were in throat-cutting competition in Arms supply and power balances. In the long span of its history, it has had a frequent tussle, confrontation, and clashes causing four wars. This article spotlights how all these wars took place on the epicenter of Kashmir.

With the emergence of Pakistan as the Islamic Republic, it fixed its eyes on Hyderabad and Junagadh hoping that Muslim kings would lend their support to get their kingdoms annexed with Pakistan. By the masterly stroke of diplomacy and political craftsmanship of Iron Man of India, Sardar Patel, the dream of Pakistan was not translated into reality. Avenged by it, Pakistan mustered its strength to bring Kashmir under- its suzerainty. Kashmir then was ruled by King Hari Singh, the clan of Dogras whose procedures Gulab Singh had unified entire Kashmir.

As a kingdom of composite culture tinged with natural beauty metaphorically described as a heaven on earth stood for cosmopolitan ideals. Hari Singh was adamant of maintaining its sovereignty, integrity, and unity without sealing the stamp of annexation either with India or with Pakistan. Perhaps, it was not acceptable to history. Pakistan sent its armies in the guise of Pathan tribes into Territory of Kashmir. In the short period, Pakistan was in the position to bring the king under the tenterhook of its apron to King Hari Singh.

Shuddered by invasion, Hari Singh was left with no alternative than seeking military help form India on 24 October 1947. Pakistan’s plan of capturing Muslim majority stale was foiled by the India Army. The conflagration was extinguished by endurance, tenacity and will power of the Indian Army. Indian Army was in a position to wrest the entire territory of Jammu Kashmir from Pakistan incursion.

It as in this crucial juncture of history, Patel was overshadowed by Nehru, yielding to pressure from Lord Mountbatten, agreed quite unnecessarily to refer Kashmir issue to the United States on 1 January 1948. The United Nation on 13 August 1948 called for the withdrawal of Pakistan troops and it entrusted India with the task of conducting a plebiscite. Pakistan didn’t withdraw its army from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) and India also didn’t conduct plebiscite. Right from that time, the game of claim and blame, evoke and provoke, eye for eyes and tooth for teeth continued on the epicenter of Kashmir.

Nehru with western mind-set was a democrat in his vein, in his orientation and his application and transplantation of his policy. Flying in the flight of idealism, he was utopian, less pragmatic. He wanted to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility with Pakistan. With this broad-vision, stirred by cosmopolitan outlook laced with Gandhian idealism extended the hand of fellow- feeling and friendship with Pakistan. With continuous rounds of six days of dialogue on 1950 April 8, he had a pact with Liyaqat Khan, the supremo of Pakistan.

This Nehru and Liaqat pact committed to taking care of the problem of its minority with the healing touch policy. The Nehru-Liaqat pact, in principle, was driven by the gospel of giving assurance of safety and security to its minorities. In reality, letters of this pact were not translated into action. Hindus in Pakistan were highly elite, cultured and cultivated residing in Lahore and Sindhi provinces.

They felt threatened and insecure by Islamisation of Pakistan. Similar, Kashmiri Pundits even both inside of both Kashmir and Pakistani occupied Kashmir were terrorized, assaulted and assassinated beyond extent. It would be interesting to note for readers among all Brahmins in the world, Kashmir Pundits were most educated and civilized. A research was made in those days even no single Kashmiri pundit was found anywhere jail in the world. It means to say that they were path-finders and torchbearers of the society.

Even inks of Nehru-Liaqat pact had not dried. Pakistan and India again indulged in war. After the death of Nehru, a mantle of leadership fell on a man of diminutive personality trained and schooled in Gandhian school of thought Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri. Like Patel, he was tough like leather. After the 1962 war with China, India was under the trauma of defeat and humiliation. At that crucial period, war broke out between India and Pakistan in 1965. Pakistan had again target to Kashmir but Shastri’s rhetoric was difficult. In his characteristic style of expression, he appealed to mass, “If Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir, I firmly say India is incomplete without Pakistan” . He injected a wave of nationalism in a nation by saying “Jay Jawan Jay Kisan”.

Indian Army was very close to Lahore and Syal Dah. The victory was on the side of India. Credit for it goes to the prime minister of USSR Koshigin who persuaded Shastri to declare a ceasefire. On June 10, 1966, in the presence of soviet leadership in Tashkent again pact was made between India and Pakistan. It is called the Tashkent agreement. This Tashkent Agreement is committed to maintaining a line of control by both countries.

Any conflict and confrontation should be resolved through dialogue and discussion. India made all war- prisoners back and made vacant all its territory that it had captured on the condition that Pakistan wouldn’t have its right to raise the issue of Kashmir in days to come. It is irony of fate that Shastri died after signing the treaty in Tashkent. The death of Shastri is said to be mysterious. It is still in the womb of mystery. In other words like Nehru Lyakat pact, Taskant agreement was also not put into practice.

After the death of Shastri, India Gandhi becomes prime minister of India. In the cabinet of Sastri, she was a minister of Information and Broadcasting. In the war of 1965, she had visited battle infusing energy in the military. In her typical style, she had remarked, ” I am only a man in the cabinet of women”.

Around 1970 Pakistan witnessed conflagration of the civil war based on language, based on Urdu and Bengali, based on East and West Pakistan. No stone was left unturned to suppress oppress and depress Urdu speaking people. 10 million people of Bengali speaking Pakistani people took shelter in India. Mrs. Gandhi hit the nail on the head. She intervened and waged war for 13 days cracking Pakistan becoming a midwife of Bangladesh. 93,000 Pakistani Army were made war prisoners and more than 15,000-kilometer land was captured.

Atal Bihari Bajpai, as a leader of the opposition, praised Mrs. Gandhi saying a leader creates history but Mrs. Gandhi has created Geography. In 1972, the Shimla Agreement was signed signaling that Pakistan would accept that Kashmir is an internal affair of India. It interesting to note that the Shimla Agreement transformed Kashmir from International to the bilateral issue.

After the cold war, a soft, sober and a mind of poetic personality Atal Bihari Bajpee came as a prime minister of India. On the sideline of UNO submit, he had the heart to heart talk with Nawaj Sharif to start an era of harmony and happiness in the tense and troubled Indo-Pak relationship. As a part of it, India initiated Lahore Bus Journey and in 1999 May 21, Lahore decoration was made between India and Pakistan declaring that both countries wouldn’t wage war against each other.

Even in the twinkling of the eye, Pakistan waged war capturing 140 check post in Syachin part of Kargil. In retaliation, India waged “Operation Bijay”. After the Kargil war, America changed its tone and temper. Clinton had a good rapport with the Indian leadership. Nowadays, again the epicenter of Kashmir, tussle between India and Pakistan has been a topic of discussion everywhere. Even Muslim countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh have stood by side of India, not to talk of Sri Lanka and others. A country like Nepal has to come out with categorical statement that Kashmir is an internal affair of India and on the epicenter of Kashmir, no war should be waged in the days to come between India and Pakistan.

(The views expressed are personal, the author Bipin Deo is an Educationist based in Kathmandu) 

Melancholic Living: Historical analysis of the Nepali political system – Birat Krishna Thapa 

Years pass, times change, and so do people and their perception regarding life. History is witness to the fact that age-old practices are done away with, and was as humans are fundamentally prone to change. The current state of affairs for Nepal has been similar. The economy is in shambles, prices of essential goods rising, increasing competitiveness in areas of work, and snail’s pace progress.

If we look back into the past week or so many statements have been made regarding the state of affairs that the nation is going through. Nepal has seen various systems, in fact as one of the oldest nations of the world it has a lot to offer, even to the outside world who are battling for a system to be in place.

Historical Backdrop

Nepal before unification has seen several state principalities, followed by a unified Monarchial system under Late King Prithvi Narayan Shah which led to the birth of a united Nepal. Continuous political upheavals and interpersonal rivalry among the royalty led to be beginning of an autocratic system. Fast forward a hundred years, people alike get together influenced by the Indian National movement against the British to bring in democracy, while maintaining a ceremonial Monarch. Simultaneously we have had a growing left ideological surge giving rise to the Communist party. Nepal would see a continuous tussle in its contemporary history between these forces of extremity resulting in destabilization and limited growth.

The tussle of power has been the center and even a driving force in Nepalese politics. Individuals alike irrespective of ideology have laid stress in attaining power rather than providing a vision for the country that would enable the people to grow. Nepal’s largest exports to the world today are Mercenaries, followed by migrant labors. Our economy is largely dependent on the human capital that is sent abroad. Our tourism industry which has unlimited potential lacks infrastructure. This has not been a system in place after the Republic, nor toward the time when people fought, sacrificed to bring in Democracy against the autocracy of the Rana regime.

It has an age-old history when the British ruled India, and our soldiers were recruited right after the treaty of Sugauli. Since then our dependence has continued while the leadership has ignored the plight of the general public. This was one of the prime reasons why public perception has always been skeptical and filled with incertitude readily accepting any change that made them a promise of a better future from their current condition. This was one of the most important foundations for the Maoist to wage a decade long war under Prachanda, and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai as the main architects both who became Prime Ministers. Never in history have we seen a King peacefully calling out a press conference and abdicating in favor of the aspirations of the Nepalese people then who wanted a Republic in place.

Who holds the Helm

Historically the elite has had a run with the entire system. When Nepal was under absolute Monarchy people close to the Palace had their way. When the general public came together to overthrow the system and put a democratic practice in place the power center shifted. Leaders of various political parties had access to newfound power. The core of the problem being, leaders that attained power spent more time preserving rather than utilization for the common good. From historical perspectives to contemporary times the political leadership of Nepal has expressed that the public always came first, they promised changes, and all of it was done in the name of development. Former King Gyanendra said just before leaving the palace “I have no intention of leaving the country, I will be here to establish peace”. Similarly, when the Maoists gave up arms and signed the Comprehensive Peace Accord which brought the tenets of Republicanism there was hope that finally a system would be in place which would be for the betterment for the people and opportunities would be made available. After two constituent assembly elections, Nepal received a new constitution but which largely disappointed the people of the Terai region. Hence there was not a single power center that actually held the ropes to have a concrete way to take things forward.

Internal factions, and rising political consciousness.

Much recently Former Deputy Prime Minister Chitra Bahadur KC also the President of the National People Front stated that “the republic is in grave danger, we should all unite in order to save it”. He also hinted on the design of ending secularism and reinstating Monarchy. Taking heed of what is happening with the current scenario and growing public frustration, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli before departing for the second time in a month to Singapore for his health check-up, called a meeting of the Quartets. It involved four major political parties, Nepali Congress, the ruling Nepal Communist Party, Samajwadi Party, and Rashtriya Janata Party. In this crucial meeting, it was decided that the government will unite in matters of national security and activities that threaten the Republic. However, there are political parties that still are in favor of reinstating Monarchy like the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (United). Its Chairman Pashupati Sumsher Rana recently in an interview to journalist Rishi Dhamala spoke about the need of the hour and the aspirations of the people who primarily identified themselves as Hindu. He said “Secularism was brought in the eleventh hour in a secretive manner and was imposed upon the people of Nepal. We had proposed a constitutional amendment at the constituent assembly and no major party had any objection of a sort”.

It is evidently seen that the problem of Nepal lies within the leadership and their inability to come through within a single ideological framework. While the Maoists were anti-government back in the 90’s we see a similar situation today with the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand alias ” Biplav. There are former dissatisfied Maoists who are bent on continuing their armed struggle. In such a delicate scenario, Nepal is at a crossroads where the only probability in order to save the newfound Republic will be to cater to the aspirations of the people. With very few opportunities and increasing migration, Nepal life as such is melancholic, with a slow pace in development and increasing competition, it is a matter of grave concern for the future generation.

KATHMANDU, Aug 21: Minister for External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met for over an hour at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar. According to sources close to the PM, the overall issues of Nepal-India bilateral relations were discussed. A detailed review was conducted during the meeting, and towards the end, the PM expressed that he shared a cordial relationship with his counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and together they have spoken about development and prosperity of both nations.

Another prominent discussion during the meeting was the report prepared by the Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG). The sources say that the report specifies how both the countries should address and tackle issues concerning both. EAM Dr. Jaishankar said India wanted Nepal’s progress and that PM Modi had a similar message.

PM Modi told his counterpart for a need to take things from a new perspective in the coming days to further the bilateral relationship between India and Nepal. PM Modi said he was in favor of improving the ties and further strengthening bilateral ties. Dr. Jaishankar, on the other hand, assured that India will provide total support and cooperation for the Republic.

EAM Dr. Jaishankar earlier was received in the Tribhuvan International Airport by Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, Nepalese Ambassador to India Nilambar Acharya.  The fifth India-Nepal Joint Commission meeting is currently underway in Hotel Yak and Yeti. The meeting focuses on strengthening bilateral economic partnerships, and they will hold negotiations over ongoing projects that are mutually beneficial for both India and Nepal. It is an aim to make the relationship more meaningful that would support each other’s economic growth for the future.

   “The Republic is in grave danger; we have to unite in order to be able to save it”

KATHMANDU, Aug 21: National People’s Front Central Committee has released a detailed press statement regarding their upcoming programs and organizational activities of the party. Speaking at their party press conference organized at the Reporters Club, the President Chitra Bahadur KC read out the press statement issued by the central committee after a meeting which was held back on 16 August. Chitra Bahadur KC is a veteran Communist leader and former Deputy Prime Minister.

He also answered questions of various journalists present on the occasion regarding the current state of affairs. He expressed concern over various rumors doing the rounds of social media and the public regarding bringing back Monarchy. In the detailed press statement issued by the National People’s Front issues such as the current state of sovereignty, secularism, and the republic all were in danger due to the activities of the government.

The press statement states that there is an agenda to destroy the secular fabric of this Nation and bring back Hinduism as a state religion, once this happens then Monarchy will be re-instated overthrowing the Republic. This is the reason why we have to voice concerns and organize peaceful protests through various measures.

Nepal is going through a stage of absolute corruption, the crisis in obtaining citizenship, rising prices, rising taxes, and oppression in the Terai region of farmers, labors, women and indigenous people. We have now taken the responsibility to make the citizen aware of what is happening to the country.

The programs are planned over a span of several months. The main agenda is also to increase the number of memberships for the party along with informing the public about the current scenario of the country.

“The republic is in grave danger. We have to unite in order to save it. There are forces at work that want to bring back Nepal as a Hindu state, and once that happens they will reinstate Monarchy overthrowing the Republic. We have brought this system through a lot of struggle and sacrifice. Everyone needs to be aware that religion is a very personal choice, and we should separate religion and the state, we cannot be ruled upon in the name of religion” KC said.

KATHMANDU, Aug 18: The ruling Communist Party of Nepal central secretariat has finalized its list for different organizational responsibilities within the party. In order to accommodate leaders and party cadres who were previously dissatisfied newer positions have been made for power-sharing within the party.

The positions have been allocated after a prolonged discussion which started last toward the end of last week. The Prime Minister after his return from Singapore has held continuous meetings within his party structure in order to satisfy and provide responsibility in order to keep in unity intact.

The following are the List of Positions allocated for different organizational responsibilities,

Special Committee for the Kathmandu Valley

Incharge: Lilamani Pokharel

Deputy Incharge: Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal

Deputy Incharge: Arun Nepal

President: Rajan Bhattarai

Secretary: Lekhnath Neupane

Youth and Student Special District Committee

 Incharge: Madhav Dhungel

Deputy Incharge: Krishna KC

President: Ramesh Malla

Secretary: Sunita Baral

Labor Special District Committee

 Incharge: Mina Shrestha

Deputy Incharge: Kumar Paudel

President: Jagat Sinkhada

Secretary: Naranath Luitel

Special District Committee for Professions

 Incharge: Krishna Prasad Nepal

Deputy Incharge: Pramal Khanal

President: Prem Bareily

Secretary: Krishna Raj KC