Nepal: Army Chief Visit only silver lining in South Asia

Recently General V. K. Singh, Chief of the Army Staff led a six member delegation to Nepal on a very successful tour of the country. The Indian and Nepalese armies have a history of shared mutual interests, with the Chief’s being honorary Generals of each other’s respective armies. On many occasions when relations between the two neighbours have been at a low ebb, this bond has saved the day.

This is especially important in a period when Indian foreign policy in South Asia stands badly discredited, except that with Bangladesh and Bhutan. Yet, this is a time when India needs to seriously consider its foreign policy in the SAARC region in view of Chinese and Pakistani convergence of foreign policy aims.

Out of the roughly 55,000 strong Gurkha Regiment, at least 35,000 to 40,000 serving at any time in the Indian Army, are Nepalese citizens. This is an unusual precedence and not fully exploited in terms of the goodwill that it generates, in terms of foreign policy leverage that this people-centric goodwill provides to Indian diplomacy. Except for a small force with the British, the bulk of Nepalese soldiers work in the Indian Army. Unfortunately, India has failed to capitalise on this asset. Today the Indian stock is lowest in Nepal which is a sad state of affairs. The people of Nepal see India as a domineering power and associate it with most of the things that have gone wrong. It is a different matter that much that has gone wrong with Nepal are it’s own failures. Besides, the employment opportunities that India generates for Nepali citizens are hardly acknowledged.

Historically, culturally and religiously the two countries have umbilical links. Of late, the relationship has come under severe stress and the Maoists are only adding fuel to the anti India sentiments, which rise and fall depending upon the internal dynamics of Nepal’s politics. Nepal’s stock in 2011 is going to get lower and lower internationally until and unless the constituent assembly delivers a new constituent within the next stipulated five months.

On the other hand these deep links have been cemented by the average Nepali who has served for the Indian nation and a strong Madhesi base in the Terai area should have ensured that irrespective of the political turmoil India retains its number one status in Nepal. A Nepal in turmoil hurts India as much as Jammu & Kashmir alienated from India. 

For nearly two centuries now, the 800-mile border with Nepal has been tension free. Now with an increased Maoist threat and the Red Corridor connecting to Nepal and then onto Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, this perceived threat is likely to become a reality if adequate security measures are not taken. India has deployed the SSB, a para-military force on the porous border. Thus 26 additional battalions are being raised, though not all will be deployed here. Some will definitely land up against the Naxals. India does not want a frontier problem with Nepal as it will be counter-productive for both economies Thus, today, Indo-Nepal relations are precariously placed and security for us cannot be compromised at any cost.

It is here that the point raised by a senior military officer Major General D S Hooda  about 16 terrorist having entered India through Nepal and transited to Jammu & Kashmir needs to be noted. The general accompanied the Chief on the recent visit. Besides this, the two sides also discussed Nepal’s role in combating international terrorism, potential terror and criminal activities due to the open border between the two countries and the need to treat them as major security issues to be dealt with on a priority basis.

It is here that the Army Chief scored a bull’s eye in the current visit to Nepal striking all the right notes and even extracted a pledge from the prime minister about safeguarding India’s security. India, on its part after a rather long hiatus, offered to resume military assistance‚ including the supply of arms and ammunition‚ blocked since the February 2005 royal massacre. There is also a joint mountaineering expedition in the works and the very fact that the Chief chose to make it to Nepal in the first year of his tenure went very well with his Nepalese counterpart, General Chhatraman Singh Gurung.

Though Nepal has weak leaders right now, and at a time when the Communists are holding the cards in the Nepalese polity, how far the prime minister’s promise on security fructifies needs to be seen. The issue that remains significant is that both sides recognise mutual security concerns, and the offer to start arms supply to the Nepal Army by India is good diplomacy. The point at issue here is: has India lost out to China, and should India not treat Nepal as a more than special state as it supplies manpower for one of its strongest regiments? The Chief also met a lot of former servicemen. India’s best bet still remains the goodwill that it has with the common man, courtesy the soldier.

Thus, India must start thinking in terms of people-centric aid to Nepal. For example, with its economy in dire straits, basic necessities such as medical aid become all the more important. We also need to encourage Track 2 diplomacy, especially in light of Nepal’s dalliance with China. A further  shift towards China will affect India strategically, as it will imbalance the current status quo in the SAARC region. Nepal too needs to be sensitive to India. It is not a one way street. After all, Nepal takes a lot of concessions from India.

India also needs to be more vigilant on the red corridor, and keep supporting Nepal’s defence needs.

(The views expressed in the article are that of the author and do not represent the views of the editorial committee or the centre for land warfare studies).