The recent years have witnessed a policy of heavy-handed arrogance towards Nepal on the part of India , a policy often reinforced by the pusillanimity of Nepal ’s own Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MoFA]. Recently, a UNN member spotted a calendar on the desk of a senior ministry official in which Mt. Everest, one of the national symbols of Nepal, is stated to be located in “Nepal-India†(see attached image). Geographically, Mt. Everest is situated in the lap of Himalayas at the border of Nepal and China . This calendar was produced by AHP Manufacturing B.V., an Indian subsidiary of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
This is not the first time an Indian company has gratuitously insulted Nepal ’s national pride. The recent Indian film“Chandni Chowk to China â€described Indiaas the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. In fact, the holy site of Lumbini, situatedin the Kapilvastu district of Nepal, has historically been regarded as the birthplace of this peace-loving religion in this peace loving country of Nepal .
Last month’s reports of border encroachment and forced displacement by India ’s Border Security Force in Dang, Bara, and Birgunj represented the most serious of India ’s insults to Nepal . News briefs on these incidents in the Nepali media were accompanied by alarming reports of human rights abuses perpetrated
by BSF personnel upon local Nepalese. Unfortunately, the government of Nepal took no action whatsoever in any of the aforementioned cases.
It is an open secret that Nepali politics is shaped by the South Block, a subject of considerable resentment for the Nepali population. India openly brokered the 12-point agreement which led to the abolition of Nepal ’s monarchy, and the successive coalition governments which have been formed in the wake of that agreement have not been able to steer the country well. Moreover, the governments formed have been clearly beholden to New Delhi . As such, the parties are reluctant to go against New Delhi ’s interest.
Ms. Sujata Koirala-Jost has occupied the post of Foreign Minister since June, despite the notable handicap of having been defeated in her home district in the April 2008 parliamentary elections. The MoFA is the institution charged with the responsibility for Nepal ’s external relations, including Nepal ’s relationship with its southern neighbor. Yet in none of the above circumstances did the MoFA take any initiative to complain against Indian insults and abuse. This has become a consistent trend in the present administration as much as it was in the prior administration, when Mr. Upendra Yadav of the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum held the foreign affairs portfolio.
It is symptomatic of the MoFA’s supine attitude for a calendar with such an egregious and offensive error to be sitting on the desk of a ministry official. The image’s caption correctly describes Mt. Eerest as “located in Nepal ,†and situated “on the border of Tibet .†Yet the caption’s header flagrantly defies political and geographical reality by denominating Mt. Everest ’s location as “Nepal-India,†implying that despite its location in Nepal Mt. Everest somehow falls within the general geographic demesne of India . The UNN insists on an explanation from AHP Manufacturing B.V. and from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, as well as from the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The UNN requests all nationalist forces to act in concert to save the prestige of the nation. Any attack on the sovereignty of the nation is an insult to Nepali nationalism which must be condemned.
United Nationalist Nepalese
www.unn.org.uk
Last edited: 26-Jul-09 06:56 PM
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