By P.R. Pradhan

Of course, politics is considered an opportunity to serve the nation and the people and leaders contributing to the nation’s interests. In the Nepali context, specially after the introduction of the multiparty democracy in 1990, the leaders are found more concerned about serving foreign powers for their personal gains. Our political leaders are found serving different foreign powers by achieving personal gains. It is just like an open secret that some leaders are identified as pro-West, whereas, some are identified as pro-Indian. Just recently, when India’s BJP leaders Vijay Chauthiwale and Bhagat Singh Koshyari visited Kathmandu, they had the opportunity to meet dozens of political leaders here, including Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Maoist Center Chairman Pushpakamal Dahal, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Foreign Minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba.

Chauthaiwale was in town to lobby our leaders for Nepal’s solidarity on India's planned attacks on Pakistan. Koshyari arrived here after India launched the Sindoor Operation against Pakistan. The mission of both the Indian leaders was to bring Nepal, a non-aligned and peace-loving nation, into the Indian lobby on its war on Pakistan.

Not odd, the Nepal government, dominated by those leaders performing the role of serving foreign powers forgetting its fundamental foreign policy of non-alignment, peaceful coexistence and Panchasheel, issued a statement stating, “Nepal stands against all forms of terrorism and supports Indian action against terrorism.” Nepal’s Foreign Ministry issued the statement and during the meeting with Koshyari, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak reiterated Nepal’s support to India in its war on terrorism. Accordingly, during a meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Shrivastava, our Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli repeated the same words ensuring India on Nepal’s support against terrorism. Later, the Indian envoy extended thanks to the Nepal government for supporting India in its war on Pakistan.  

Currently, Nepal chairs the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in which, both countries, India and Pakistan, are the founding members. The burning question is whether it was reasonable to take sides with any particular country annoying another friendly country! Another question is if Nepal gave up its non-aligned status and became the second Bhutan under the Indian umbrella!

For the time being, both India and Pakistan have announced a ceasefire avoiding a massive war in the reason. We hope both countries will resolve disputes through peaceful talks as an escalation of war in the region is not beneficial to any of us and the entire human beings.     

We strongly condemn the Pahalgam terrorist attacks in which 26 Indian and 1 Nepali national were brutally killed. Immediately after India launched missile attacks on Pakistani destinations accusing the latter of sponsoring terrorism. On the other hand, Pakistan said that it didn’t sponsor terrorism and demanded an impartial international probe committee to investigate the Pahalgam terrorist attacks. Despite Pakistan’s quest for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, India opened fire against Pakistan and Pakistan responded strongly. By Saturday evening, a ceasefire has been announced after the US and other countries’ mediation. Still, we are not sure about the permanent end of a possible war between India and Pakistan. The seed of the war is Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian attitude of regional hegemony, imperialism and expansionism. We saw the demise of Sikkim, a sovereign Himalayan Kingdom; we saw Indian defacto rule in Bhutan and we saw the India-sponsored Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); we experienced the decade-long Maoist bloody “people’s war” in Nepal, which was sponsored by India. India performed a double standard declaring the Maoists as terrorists even before Nepal declared them terrorists but covertly supporting the Maoists to destabilize Nepal. The then external affairs minister, who later became the President of India, Pranav Mukherjee, in an interview with Al Jazeera, confirmed that India had sponsored the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. Many other leaders are openly reiterating the Indian government and intelligence agencies' support for them. Today, India is administering micromanagement in Nepal. On the whole, the Indian hegemonic attitude has become the main reason for conflict in the region. Until and unless India will not change its double standard and the attitude of regional hegemony, although we wish, terrorism in the region cannot be defused totally. Nevertheless, India will also continue to become the victim of terrorism.