ALI SUKHANVER
It is really a hard-luck of Nepal that it is a land-lock country bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, and west. The distance between Nepal and Bangladesh is just 27 km but Nepal does not share border with Bangladesh and same is the situation with Bhutan. The Indian state of Sikkim is located between Nepal and Bhutan. In short India is the only country which shares direct boundary with Nepal from three sides and on the basis of this natural helplessness it always exploits Nepal and treats it as a colony of it. Indian interference in Nepal has become a continuous basis of conflict between the government of Nepal and the people of Nepal. The people of Nepal are of opinion that Indian interference in their internal as well as in foreign affairs is depriving Nepal of its own identity and sovereignty. It is because of Indian interference in Nepal that the whole social, political and economic set up of Nepal is heading towards a catastrophic ending. Unfortunately the Nepalese politicians have unwillingly accepted Indian hegemony. The editorial of a Nepalese newspaper said, “Our leaders have a tendency to become ultra nationalist when they are out of power, but as they come in power their position changes and they become Indian surrogates. Most of the Nepalese leaders are guided by selfish motives and they try to climb an easy ladder to power through India. This is one of the main reasons that Nepal is subjected to undue Indian pressures, harassments and humiliations. Nepali political parties are using Indian and China cards as tool to grab the opportunity to come in govt. India wants political instability in Nepal. Every government in Nepal designs close relation with India and ignores China under Indian pressure.” An analyst on Nepal-India affairs said in an article, “The people of Nepal hate their Indian neighbors because Indians take Nepalese to be stupid hill dwellers who are always jealous of the progress Indians have made. Nepalese think of Indians as charlatans, frauds and cheats because the Indians follow the saying that a dead Indian can fool ten Nepalese.” Indian interference in Nepal has become a serious threat to the law and order situation in the country too. The hidden agents of R&AW are always there to damage Nepal’s repute at international level. The government of Nepal never seems willing to give these agents a hard time or to take them to task for their mischievous activities; disappearance of a retired officer of Pakistan Army from Nepal is also one of such heinous activities. Col (R) Zahir, after his retirement from Pakistan Army in 2014, started applying for job through emails in different international companies. Indian intelligence agencies picked up his bio data from there and hatched a conspiracy to trap him by offering a UN affiliated job in Nepal.
Some of the Nepalese journalists have raised their voices against abduction of Col (R) Zahir Habib in very bitter tones. Swaviman Nepal is an esteemed magazine of Nepal. It said in a report, “India is using Nepalese territory for leveling its scores with its opponents. Uncontrolled abductions of foreigners from Nepalese territory by Indian intelligence suggest that Nepal is no more a safe tourist resort and anybody could be abducted or killed by Indian sleuths.” Many months have passed but nothing has yet been done by the government of Nepal for the rescue of the missing Pakistani. Recently the wife of Col (R) Zahir Habib wrote a letter to UNHRCP regarding mysterious disappearance of her husband from Lumbini, a border town of Nepal where he was called for a job interview by Mark Thomson a senior Recruiter of ‘Stratsolutions.biz’ on 6th April 2017. It was her second letter to the authorities. In the beginning lines of her letter she says, “I am once again writing to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with the hope that Humanity is still alive and I along with my children am not living in a lawless world with no justice and no compassion. I have learnt that there are very convincing indications of involvement of Indian nationals in my husband’s mysterious disappearance from Nepal and evidences collected so far strongly suggest incident as a premeditated kidnap plot.” What else could a helpless woman do for her missing husband? Let us pray for her husband but apparently it seems that all her efforts are going to be wasted as the government of Nepal seems totally helpless in this regard. This slavish behavior of the government of Nepal and of the politicians there and the helplessness of the security forces of Nepal must be alarming and eye-opening to the people of Nepal. If no one in Nepal tried to put a check on the increasing interference and influence of India, this country of beautiful people and wonderful mountains would become an Indian colony. Keeping the neighbouring countries under pressure, particularly the countries weaker in strength and resources, has been an old practice of India. Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are the worst example in this regard. Sri Lanka is very fortunate that it has a nation blessed with marvelous will and determination. It is simply because of this determination and courage that the people of Sri Lanka did not let India succeed in its heinous plans of making Sri Lanka an Indian colony. The people of Nepal must learn a lesson from Sri Lanka. They also have all talents but they seem lacking courage in this regard.