Spread the love

By Rabi Raj Thapa

There is an idiom:  “Charity begins at Home” can be converted into “Security begins at home and its immediate neighbors first”. If a country has problems at its borders and its immediate neighbors, it cannot think of National Security or securing its national vital interests strongly and effectively.  

In this regard, the Bilateral Joint Technical Committee meeting between Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) and India’s Seema Surakchya Bal (SSB), in Kathmandu has been a milestone to enhance cooperation and coordination between Nepal and India having 1751 kilometre open border linking five Indian States namely Bihar, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. This annual meeting has been vital to working on many bilateral issues like cross-border smuggling, terrorism, Madrasa, counterfeit currencies, drugs and human trafficking.

Trans-border crimes have always been a challenge and a menace for both countries. If the adjoining border security agencies do not work in cohesion and coordination, such criminals and their organized criminal nexuses exploit and take advantage of it.

Therefore trans-border cooperation between APF, Nepal and SSB, India, has become vital to foster and enhance cooperation and coordination of both organizations.     

Regarding border security, India has been far ahead of Nepal. The Government of India had recognized the importance of a border security force much earlier and established a Border Security Force with 25 battalions in 1965. Now it has grown to 193 battalions with 2, 70,000 personnel. India also has the Indo-Tibetan Border Police that guards the Indo-China border where it has Border Out-Posts at 9,000 to 18,750 feet above the sea level.

Regarding Nepal and Bhutan, Sashastra Seema Bal became a dedicated border force on December 15, 2003. Since then it has now become the main border counterpart of Nepal with India. At present, SSB has 94,261 personnel and has an annual budget of 7,428 Crore Indian Rupees (equivalent to US$ 590.1 million). Compared to that APF of the Nepal Government has around 37,000 personnel and a meager budget to maintain and develop its capability.   

However, it is good that the Government of Nepal recognized APF-Nepal as a dedicated border security force after the end of the armed conflict in 2006. As a result of this decision, APF-Nepal has the authority and good platform to work and deal with the SSB as a counterpart. However, APF-Nepal needs more personnel and resources to become compatible with its Indian counterpart and cover all Nepali territory with an adequate number of border outposts at par with its counterparts on both the India and China borders.

In this regard, the Eight Joint Coordination Committee Meeting led by SSB Director General Amrit Mohan Prashad and the Chief of Armed Police Force-Nepal, Raju Aryal could further strengthen bilateral border cooperation and coordination in such an atmosphere where Nepal-India diplomatic relations are at their lowest ebb. Since Nepal is being embroiled in organized crime scandals, it needs more cooperation and collaboration with more national crime control and law enforcement agencies in future.

However, recent visits of the Chief of Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi and SSB chief Amrit Mohan Prashad have evidenced that competent security organizations like the Nepal Army and APF can also maintain and enhance international relations. It has also proven that defence and security organizations can play major and crucial roles in enhancing and protecting national interests. So it may not be healthy to undermine security institutions in the name of civic control or by any other pretext.      

Most importantly, it has to be well understood that only securing the border with guns and uniformed personnel without diplomatic seriousness, commitment and initiatives may not be able to save the nation. Nepali people need to accept and appreciate security forces for their importance and recognize their efforts as defence diplomacy by enhancing amity, cooperation and coordination complimenting Nepal’s international pride and prestige.