Whatever problems that may have cropped up between the two countries should be settled through diplomatic channels at the earliest, without delay

Nepal-India relations have taken an abrupt nosedive, but things still remain within the control of the political leadership on both sides of the border. The narratives coming from Kathmandu or New Delhi only seem to help one harden its position against the other, as we have witnessed in the past few days. The mood or posturing of the day barely suggests that Nepal and India have forged, enjoyed and benefited from long-standing historical and cultural ties. The irony is that the two closest neighbours are at a bitter loggerheads after Nepal promulgated its new Constitution as a secular federal republic. Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat on Monday addressed a meeting of the Kathmandu-based donor agencies to alert the international community that Nepal might face a “humanitarian crisis” if cargo trucks, including tankers and bullets carrying petroleum products and cooking gas, fail to enter Nepal from the Indian border points. Finance Minister Mahat said that the “semi-blockade or restriction” in supply of goods, particularly the petroleum products, from the Indian side has created shortage of commodities. He also drew the attention of the international community about the sit-in campaign launched at the border points and on no-man’s land blocking the movement of goods from the Nepal-India borders. On Monday itself, Minister for Supply and Commerce Sunil Bahadur Thapa conferred with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi and urged her to resume the supply of essential commodities.

Petroleum products and cooking gas are the most essential supplies imported from India as per the agreement reached between the Nepal Oil Corporation and its sole supplier, Indian Oil Corporation. But export of the petroleum products and cooking gas has been restricted from entering Nepal for nearly a week. The Indian government in its recent statements has stated that it has not imposed any blockade on the export of various commodities, including the petroleum products. Prominent Madhesi leaders have also said India cannot be blamed for the disruption of supplies. According to them, the supplies are not entering Nepal because of their agitation at border points, and not due to any blockade from the Indian side. Public perception in Nepal — particularly among the non-Madhesi groups — has however been that India has imposed an undeclared economic blockade against Nepal citing unrest in areas bordering India even as Kathmandu has assured of providing full security to the vehicles ferrying goods to Nepal. Prolonged blockade of the goods at the customs points has forced the closure of many industries, manufacturing units, tourism and service sector causing a huge loss to the economy. The blockade will have adverse economic impact even on the Indian side as most Indian towns bordering Nepal heavily depend on the Nepali customers who spend billions of rupees buying the Indian goods. Continued stopping of the entry of goods into Nepal and the undeclared restriction on the movement of goods longer will only see the ties between the two closest neighbours sour. Whatever problems that may have cropped up between the two countries should be settled through diplomatic channels at the earliest, without delay.

Wrong practice

Reports of students being beaten up by their teachers should be treated as something serious. Teachers in many schools still resort to corporal punishment. From time to time the students who are thrashed require medical attention. One such report is about several students being thrashed black and blue in Phidim by a school management committee chairperson a couple of days ago. Though a FIR has been lodged to the police, action is yet to be taken against the guilty. The case was settled by pressure tactics used by local leaders.

It appears that a compromise was reached after the parents of one of the seriously injured victims was provided with expenses for his treatment and were paid compensation. The matter was apparently resolved without the police being involved through mutual understanding. The students beaten up were reported to be suffering from mass shivering and also some form of hysteria probably due to the major earthquake of April 25. Not all serious cases of corporal punishment come to public notice.