Nepal is main venue of anti-China activities

Chandra Prakash Gajurel

Polit Bureau Member, Nepal Communist Party-Maoist

TGQ1: The Chinese foreign minister recently said that China was ready to safeguard Nepal’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Is it that the country has been pushed to that level?

Gajurel: It is not so at the moment. Nevertheless, the Chinese Ambassadors and Ministers have been talking on that line since long. The Chinese have been saying since long that if there is any sort of attack on Nepal’s sovereignty and geographical integrity, China will be ever ready to support Nepal. China might have told so sensing that of late foreign interference, more so from the immediate neighbor, has increased in Nepal.

China perhaps told these things upon studying the Nepali scenario as it stood today.

From when such interferences began to your knowledge?

Gajurel: The unequal treaties that we have signed with immediate neighbor in itself tantamount to interference. But why this issue took a different dimension in these days is because only last Thursday, the parliament members raised the issue that at 54 different places Nepal’s lands have been encroached upon by the other side. We can call such acts as interference or even encroachment. Of the total 54 places where Nepalese lands have been illegally occupied, there are two such places wherein a sizeable chunk of our lands have been already amalgamated by the other side.

Well, what must be kept in mind is that there has been interference in Nepal’s politics from that side and it has also been seen that the other side pushes its instructions every now and then. Isn’t it?

TGQ2: Has the time already come to invite third country to resolve Nepal-India border dispute?

Gajurel: No! It is not that. The time has not come yet. We must resolve our issues bilaterally.

But your Home Minister recently sought the Chinese support to resolve the Kalapani land dispute with India?

Gajurel: We have felt that the Indian interests in Nepal have exponentially gone up in these days. We, however, don’t want to tease India in this regard and come up as a different sort of nationalists. This would not be logical. Neither we want to “use” India. But the time has come that we must put the entire Nepali perspective in a positive and forceful manner for the perusal of the Indian government.

TGQ3: Why it is that we always raise the issue of 1950 treaty but shelve the matter every time. What could be the reason?

Gajurel: This is a paradox. All happen to raise this issue but shelve it sine die.

At least, I could raise this issue at a New Delhi seminar recently. Many Indians told me that at least you put your things straight. To tell you frankly, the 1950 Treaty has become a “burden” for the Indian establishment as well. Neither it can abandon the treaty nor can it carry on with it.

The treaty is in itself a faulty one in that it has no provision of affecting a review on a timely basis. Either you scrap it or bear with it. This is the position.

When we talk of scrapping the treaty, India gets irritated. India maintains that how come Nepal got the strength to challenge the Indian establishment? The other side presumes that it should be China behind such Nepali strength?

Be that as it may, the treaty as such has already become a “heavy” burden both for Nepal and India to put it plainly.

TGQ4: Two of your ministers recently sneaked into the Chinese territory without informing the government. Doesn’t this event force one to raise questions as regards the motive of such a secret visit?

Gajurel: This is impossible. No ministers can do that. I too went to Lhasa but did not inform the party. I went to Lhasa without introducing myself to avoid making an issue out of the visit.

However, while crossing half of the bridge, one Chinese police officer recognized me and demanded certain documents. Luckily, the party unit too was present there which facilitated my easy entrance into Khasa.

But it was a case associated with the government ministers? Wasn’t it?

Gajurel: Why to make a mountain out of a mole? Has it been written any where that it would be a crime if one stepped into the Chinese land? It would have been a different matter if some high Chinese officials had arrived there and met with the Nepalese ministers. But it was not so then why to blow up the issue out of proportion?

TGQ5: There is the growing fear among the population that Nepal could turn up some time soon into Yugoslavia and Haiti if India, the US and China are allowed to play in Nepal?

Gajurel: If we talk of the recent days activities, Kathmandu has become the venue for initiating anti-Tibet activities. While China was busy with its Olympic games, each and every day there could be seen anti-China activities. The anti-China activities went to the extent that some enthusiasts even tried to climb the Nepali mountains wearing “Free-Tibet” vests.

The Dalai Lama lives in Dharmashala, India. However, there were no such protests against China in India. Now it has been an established fact that the Dalai men came down to Kathmandu and encouraged the anti-China protests during that time. It became evidently clear that some one tried to make Nepal their play ground.

If China senses a threat to its security, it will not remain as a mere onlooker. The talk of Yugoslavia is thus not in the talk for nothing.

2008-12-09 16:11:59
Source: Telegraphnepal.com.np