In response to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s request, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of India has agreed to provide further military assistance to Nepal, newspaper reports said Saturday.
“India will donate more helicopters and vehicles designed to withstand mines to Nepal to fight a deadly Maoist insurgency that threatens to spill across the border,” Hindustan Times daily reported quoting an Indian defence official.
“These items were promised at Thursday’s meetings,” the official said, referring to talks between premier Deuba and Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The supplies would include a multi-role light helicopter built by India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd that can be used to transport troops and equipment as well as to attack, he said. He did not give more details, the newspaper report said.
Meanwhile, in a dispatch sent from Delhi, The Himalayan Times, a Kathmandu-based daily, reported that India has agreed to provide three advanced light helicopters, 20,000 INSAS rifles, 15,000 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifles, machine guns, mine protected vehicles, trucks, jeeps and other accessories. Both Indian and Nepali officials are yet to give details of latest military assistance to Nepal.
Earlier, talking to reporters in Delhi on Friday, Indian Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, said that India and Nepal had agreed to set up a joint consultation group to coordinate between security agencies of the two countries and upgrade the facilities at the border points. “A mechanism would be developed to have regular interaction at the Home Secretary level,” he added.
According to Saran, India would also assist Nepal modernise its army and launch a pilot a project to provide counter-terrorism training to the Nepali police. He said Home Secretaries of the two countries would meet before October this year to finalise the five-decade old extradition treaty.
Both the governments are yet to agree upon certain provisions to be incorporated in the amended treaty. nepalnews.com by Sep 11 04