India, Nepal discuss road map for stability

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, AUG. 8. Concerned about the Maoist insurgency in the mountains and the simmering discontent in the plains of the Terai, India and Nepal are defining new ground rules that would encourage stability in the sensitive Himalayan kingdom.

Troubled by the Maoist insurgency, which has its epicentre in the northern highland districts, the Nepalese Government is groping for ways to address this challenge. Aware of India's influence in Nepal, New Delhi and Kathmandu have discussed the fall-out of the Maoist insurgency on their security. The developments in the flatlands of the Terai and its implications on the insurgency in the North-East have also recently come up for talks, during the visit to India of the Nepalese Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Pyar Jung Thapa.

India and Nepal realise that there is a glaring dissimilarity in the combat role of the two armies. Unlike the Indian Army, the Nepalese Army is geared mainly for internal security duties as it does not perceive a security threat from any of its neighbours. Consequently, the Nepalese Army, in terms of combat demands has more in common with the Indian paramilitary forces than with the Army. Not surprisingly, tie-ups between the Nepalese Army and the paramilitary forces in the future could increase.

India, however, according to the 1950 Indo-Nepal treaty, has a role in providing military equipment for the Nepalese forces. Given its existing security challenge, Nepal is keen to acquire modern infantry weapons from India. These include rifles, grenades, night vision devises and radio sets for communication. The aviation fleet of the Nepalese Army may also have to be beefed up, especially with more light transport helicopters, such as the Chetak and the Cheetah which are produced in India.

Despite the larger implications of instability in Nepal, India has ruled out any possibility of getting physically drawn into Nepal's internal strife. The developments in the Terai are also of considerable concern to both sides. India is keen that Nepal does not push ahead with rules which would deny citizenship rights to hundreds of ethnic Indians in the Terai belt. Since several Nepalese of Indian descent have relatives as well as economic linkages in the Indo-Gangetic belt, any such move is likely to generate a negative fall-out on the politics of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Government is keen to avoid a political backlash, especially as the crucial Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are not far away.

India also wants that the use of the Terai region for funneling arms to the North-East insurgents is contained. As of now, arms are sent mainly thought the Siliguri corridor - the narrow link which connects the North-East with the rest of the country. Once weapons cross into India, they can be channelised northwards towards Bhutan and Sikkim or southwards along the Barak valley towards Silchar, Manipur and Nagaland.

There are apprehensions in Government circles that a spurt in anti-India activities from the Terai belt is likely. Growing communalisation in the area which can be traced to the demolition of the Babri Masjid is already encouraging this. The Vishwa Hindu Sangh (VHS), Islamic Yuva Sangh (IYS) and the Muslim Ekta Sangh (MES) which have a perceptible presence in the Terai belt, especially in the Nepalgunj area, have all contributed to deepening the communal divide. The IYS reportedly has links with the Benori mosque and the Haqqani school of thought in Pakistan.

Aware of this polarisation, Pakistani intelligence has acquired a foot-hold in the Terai to exploit the situation, Government sources say. Some of the ``genuine'' commercial establishments in the Terai which are headquartered in Pakistan have been penetrated by the ISI. Pakistani textile firms in the Terai include Silver-fiber textiles, Vivid textiles and Pantech textiles.

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