Being a neighbour of India
By P.R. Pradhan
There is a saying that if a neighbor is good, the house will be a like heaven, therefore, people try to choose good neighbours, yet, all are not fortunate.
On/Off the Record
India is a giant country in the region, so far, her relations with all the neighbouring countries are not harmonious as small neighbouring countries are always suffering from the Indian hegemony. We have witnessed three wars between India and Pakistan and currently there is a face-off situation among the leaders of each other’s country. Sri Lanka had to face decades long LTTE insurgency sponsored by India. Bhutan cannot speak against India as the tiny country is under total grip of giant India, otherwise, the country has wished to be liberated from India and establish diplomatic relations with China. Bangladesh and Maldives are also experiencing uneasy from their relations with India. Due to the Indian hegemony and standoff between India and Pakistan, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has been nonfunctional for several years.
The Indians, who experienced British colonial rule for decades, following the Mughal empire in India, they spent a life like slaves, so they are still not out of the century old slavery mentality. They are following the very traditional British imperialism even today. We saw annexation of Sikkim by the expansionist Indian rulers. However, it has become very costly for the Indians. Every year, the Indian federal government spends trillions of rupees to suppress anti-Indian sentiment among the people of independent Sikkim. Always, the Indian intelligence personnel are running behind each individual in Sikkim. Locals are even afraid to speak freely with any new faces there. It has already been six decades since India occupied Sikkim, still, India is unable to end anti-Indian sentiment among the people. Accordingly, India has forcefully occupied Jammu and Kashmir but it is unable to stop the local’s voice for freedom. Hundreds of thousands of people have already sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom, even though, India, the largest democracy in the globe has not responded to the voice of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian security personnel’s presence in the territory is higher than the entire population there. The fact is that the Indians cannot freely travel in the area.
Nepal is a peace loving nation. The late King Birendra, who saw forceful annexation of independent Himalayan Kingdom Sikkim, to save Nepal’s independence and sovereignty, announced Nepal as a Zone of Peace (ZOP). 116 nations from across the globe had recognized the proposal, except India. Why India didn’t recognize the proposal, it is quite understandable that after Sikkim, the Indian eyes were towards Nepal. It is not odd, those RAW officials have already disclosed the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi’s plan to split Nepal and annex all tarai districts from the Himalayan Kingdom! It is not a secret that all political movements and also the decade long Maoist insurgency were sponsored by the Indians just to destabilize Nepal.
We have experienced inhuman economic blockade by India to serve its petty interests. To note, in 1972, 1989 and 2016, the Indians had imposed economic blockade on Nepal. When the Indians saw the Institution of Monarchy was a hurdle in fulfilling the Indian interests, they imposed economic blockade and sponsored political leaders for the so-called people’s movement. In fact, they were Indian movement aimed at removal of the institution of monarchy. Suspicious accident of UML supremo Madan Bhandari, the Royal Palace bloodbath and 2006 April uprising are related to destabilization of Nepal. How the Indians abducted the autonomous status of the people in Jammu and Kashmir, how Kalapani, purely Nepali territory, was included in the political map of India and how the Indian defence minister was encouraged to inaugurate the link road connecting India and China via Lipulekh, Nepali territory, these are the examples of the Indian bullying against its neighbours. Why the tarai districts have become problematic, we all know, there are the Indian hands.
When the international community has closed their eyes on the Indian brutality and abduction of fundamental rights of the people from Jammu and Kashmir, the present day Indian leaders are highly encouraged to move further. Not only in Kalapani, in eastern Nepal also, the Indian border security force is creating dispute and capturing Nepali territory forcefully. Indians are reluctant in resolving the border disputes, they are constructing Nepal-India border road in no man’s land in UP and Bihar even by violating the international norms and even blocking the river flow inundating Nepal’s fertile land specially during the rainy season.
Presently, Nepal is fighting against coronavirus pandemic. Nepal-India open borders have become the main source in spreading coronavirus in Nepal. Indians, even the border security force, are transporting people to the border point by forcing them to enter Nepal. The Indian intention is to spread the pandemic in Nepal and troubling Nepali citizens and destroying Nepali economy.
After accomplishing the mission in Kalapani, the Indians plan to split Nepal’s tarai districts, and if possible, it will try to annex Nepal. This plan doesn’t apply only for Nepal, all the small nations around India are under the serious threat of their independent existence!
We may experience that how Nepal’s one after another important organs were destroyed since 1990! We can imagine, how much fund that India has invested to destroy such organs vital for the nation. The Indians are not foolish to invest in Nepali political leaders without any mission and, presently, when those very people are in power, they formally occupied Kalapani territory. It took more than a decade to take such an action after removing the institution of monarchy.
To conclude, all small nations around India should remain alert and prepare to counter the Indian hegemonies design collectively.
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