Kathmandu: New Delhi has once again expressed its desire to have a role in the government-Maoists talks.
As usual, Indian authorities have done so through their trusted and tested men who either served in the ministry at some point of time or who claim to be expert on Nepal affairs.
To recall, former Indian Foreign Secretary, K. Sibbal too had expressed such a similar desire while making a lecture in Paris some five years ago wherein he had asked Nepali authorities to define what role his country would have at time of the negotiation with the Maoists.
It is not surprising therefore to listen to the sure shot formulae for the solution to the Maoists issue coming as it does more often than not from across the border.
S.D.Muni, the self proclaimed Nepal expert who is widely known for providing service to India’s foreign ministry and who is concurrently the biggest critic of Nepali monarchy in India, the other day said in Delhi that “Where is the international community? And India, whose role is critical at this time”
In saying so, Dr. Muni would wish India’s predominant role in settling the government-Maoists dispute, which is what the Indian authorities seated in the South Block, would want primarily.
Dr. Muni as a matter of courtesy did say that there was the need of the international community to support Nepal at time of crisis. However, that is just a lip-service as it has already become pretty evident that his men in the ministry have hinted Nepal that India would not prefer any third party international mediation including that of the United Nations System.
The fact is that Nepal to day rejects international mediation only because of Indian instructions.
Dr. Muni in the same vein does admit that Nepal’s Maoists issue should not be left at the mercy of the Almighty and that sooner it is checked the better for India as well.
Better late than never, Dr. Muni accepts that the Maoists issue now has begun hurting India’s security perceptions as well. He, however, says this in a different manner. “Any delayed response from key players would mean a bigger challenge for Nepalis and the international community”.
Dr. Muni’s reference of international community should be read as India’s.
Muni as is expected of him says that Nepal’s monarchy have had zero role in Nepal save that of Prithivi Narayan Shah.
His reiteration needed no further explanation as he is considered in Nepal as a qualified Indian with myopic vision.
Then comes former India’s Ambassador to Nepal K.V.Rajan who says to bring about an end to Nepal’s present crisis all that was needed was more democracy.
However, Ambassador Rajan does not mention his own reluctance in helping Nepal when he was here as Ambassador in curbing the ever-growing Maoists threats to this country. Now that its spillover effect was becoming clear in his country’s security perceptions so a panicked Rajan sees the need of what he says “given an opportunity, New Delhi can do much in Nepal”.
According to Rajan by implication, New Delhi should act fast in helping Nepal or else India too would have to bear the brunt of the geometrical growth of the Maoists in Nepal. The fact is that Nepal’s Maoists insurgency possesses a strong linkage with similar insurgencies in India who are creating havoc in India itself of late. Rajan should have fathomed this eventuality when he was himself posted in Nepal. Better late than never he did realize.
All said and done, if the suggestions have come as a late realization in the Indian diplomatic circle that India should support Nepal then that should be most welcome. Or else making lectures in New Delhi would do little to change the internal dynamics of the Maoists politics in their own country.
Let’s hope that Indian support is not forthcoming to Nepal wherein a Nepali would be told to kill the other Nepali.
If that is the real Indian intentions then Nepali analysts say Nepal would do well in rejecting such dangerous support from across the border.
The experts on Nepal made these observations the other day in Delhi during the launching ceremony of a book by Manjushree Thapa.