By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal told his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar that Nepal’s new government carries a clear and decisive mandate for good governance, economic transformation and results-driven diplomacy.
This is well and good, but the taste of the pudding is in the eating, and it remains to be seen how and when the government actually implements its priority goals.
Khanal also claimed that the new government carried no old baggage, only the firm resolve to build a genuinely transformative relationship with our close neighbour and most important partner.
Khanal was definitely currying favour with his Indian hosts.
It would have been better if he had taken a more realistic approach.
The new government unquestionably does not have the mandate to put Nepal’s foreign policy on its head, i.e. to topple its antecedents.
It cannot change Nepal’s history and geography.
Khanal takes mutual praise and appreciation a step too far [perhaps even many steps] by admitting that Indian PM Narendra Modi graciously acknowledged that ‘India and Nepal are not only two countries, we are stakeholders of a proud ancient civilization, we seek to translate this civilizational bond into modern development-oriented partnerships.’
As regards history, we must not forget that after independence, India had designs on Nepal and the other two Himalayan Kingdoms, Sikkim and Bhutan from the point of view of its own national security.
It seamlessly overtook British India’s and Imperial Britain’s conception of these kingdoms as buffer, puppet and protective states.
We have to be realistic and not forget India’s predatory tendencies. The annexation of Sikkim is a case in point.
India’s behaviour towards a smaller and weaker neighbour has not always been above board.
Leaders may have conveniently forgotten, but people in general still remember the land blockades by India to intimidate Nepal, one cruelly by Modi himself just after the Great Earthquake of modern times.
Now to geography.
Nepal borders not only India, but also China in the north.
It is, in fact, sandwiched between the two great powers of Asia. It cannot lean to either side.
Geography compels it to follow a policy of peaceful coexistence and equidistance with both powers. It cannot be seen to favour any side – which the present government has inadvertently done, after the rousing welcome accorded to the Rashtriya Swatantra Party leader, Rabi Lamichhani.
The exuberance for one power can endanger our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We had relations with Tibet and China long before India became independent. And these must be further cultivated with the same gusto as Nepal-India relations.
We must not forget Prithvi Narayan Shah’s dictum and the basics of Nepal’s foreign policy.
A new broom sweeps clean, but history cannot be erased, and geography remains constant.
The writer can be reached at: shashimalla125@gmail.com
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