The saying that only small and the weak are subject to perish is a reality around the globe and Nepal is no exception. The ongoing undeclared economic blockade by India on landlocked Nepal is a testimony to the same. The blockade on Nepal-bound goods and cargo vehicles on the border is really annoying, causing acute shortage of petroleum products and daily essentials including medicines in the country. Although India has not accepted the blockade as its official decision, this India’s bullying efforts are part of age-old practice of India’s interference in Nepal’s political affairs directly or indirectly. For notice, India is reluctant to even welcome the newly promulgated constitution of Nepal, for no significant reason and even when the rest of the world including the US, China and the UN have hailed it as a remarkable progress. However, they are none other than our own political leaders, who give a leeway for India to interfere to a larger extent, only to fulfill their personal interests. On the other hand, seeking advices from the immediate neighbor is one thing, implementing what it says verbatim is another. At the same time, the truth cannot be forgotten that India is our reality and that it holds concerns with the affairs of Nepal as it shares open border with Nepal and that it has similar social, cultural, religious and economic practices with that of Nepal. But, this does not mean that a country can interfere in affairs of a sovereign country.This is not the first time India imposed blockade on the border. The blockade imposed by India in 1988 lasted around 15 months. International community and Nepal and its people at home and abroad are decrying the recent undeclared blockade by India, saying that the blockade is against the norms of international law. This unwarranted act of India has come under criticism in India itself. Sudhindra Bhadoria, leader of India’s Bahujan Samaj Party, has said that it was not appropriate, on humanitarian grounds, to impose such economic blockade on a landlocked country like Nepal. The Indian civil society too has come out against the blockade. The agreement of the South Asian Free Trade Area reached among the SAARC member countries does not allow member country to impose blockade on the border shared by a landlocked country. Furthermore, the 1965 convention on Transit Trade of Landlocked States, which India is party to, is an agreement allowing landlocked countries access to sea and transport routes for supply of goods. Given the backlash worldwide, though India would think twice before committing a similar act in the future, one thing the Nepali political leadership should take in mind is to learn from this incident and work out a durable alternative. For instance, Nepali side could seek assistance from its northern neighbour country on time in case of such crisis, and it could also import petroleum products from China. As petroleum pipelines have already come up to Shigatse of the Tibet Autonomous Region, it is not impossible to link that to Nepal. What Nepal needs with regards to the matter is courage and strong diplomatic initiative.By Pritam Bhattarai
