Indian army chief’s visit to Nepal Khabar Hub 02 Nov 2020
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Indian army chief’s visit to Nepal Khabar Hub 02 Nov 2020
Former Nepalese Army officer, Major General Binoj Basnyat, stated during a web discussion on the visit of the Indian army chief to Nepal, ‘The visits signifies a couple of things–the potential of military bonds; military diplomacy has been the backbone of our relationship; understanding of India’s security concerns; and China’s growing influence.’ He added that India and Nepal share ‘a special, deep, and profound relationship’ and very few nations have such ties. This reality is being side lined for political differences and must never be allowed to happen.
The Indian army chief, General MM Naravane, is scheduled to visit Nepal from 04 Nov. During the visit, apart from interacting with his counterpart, General Purna Chandra Thapa, he will be meeting Nepal’s Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, who also holds the defence minister’s portfolio and be conferred with the title of honorary chief of the Nepalese army by the President, Bidhya Devi Bhandari. This is significant as army chiefs of both countries are appointed honorary chief of the other, a tradition few nations adopt and is a display of close bonding and ties between them.
India and Nepal have, in recent times, been involved in a controversy over the border on which Naravane’s statement of May was misunderstood. This is past and should not come to the fore during this visit as it is an apolitical and ceremonial visit. Further, with PM Oli tilting towards China, relations have not been conducive. This visit falls on the heels of the visit to Nepal by the Indian RAW chief, Samant Kumar Goel, on 21st Oct. Sadly, the two are being linked in some sections of Nepalese media, which is unwarranted.
The hallmark of the relationship between the two countries has been its military diplomacy and cooperation. Nepal has 128,000 Indian pensioners, which form a sizeable part of its population. Nepalese Gurkhas are an integral part of the Indian army and their wellbeing, post retirement, remains the responsibility of the Indian army. The strength of Indian army officers in the Nepalese embassy is the largest globally, solely to care for their own pensioners. The bonding of Indian army veterans in Nepal, serving soldiers and their officers in India is close and must always remain so.
India has been the main source for strengthening the capabilities of the Nepalese army as also for its training. The two nations regularly conduct joint exercises. Historically, despite political differences, the two armies have always maintained close relations, and this should remain the hallmark.
In addition, both nations share an open border, religion, history, geography and culture. Population from either country work in the other and hence, even economies are linked. Both nations have historically been sensitive to the security and economic concerns of the other and this must remain the bedrock of the relationship. Differences in perception between the borders need to be resolved and would happen with time. Disputes based on maps, drawn by British cartographers, over a 100 years ago would take time to resolve and this should be accepted.
It is likely that Naravane would carry a message for PM Oli from Indian PM Modi and would in return have a similar message from Nepal. The messages would be positive as both nations seek to set aside differences and look forward to closer cooperation in other fields, especially with the spread of COVID 19.
Hence, the visit must be visualized from the lens of positivity of building relations, rather than political differences. The armed forces of both nations are apolitical and would remain so. This visit would further strengthen military ties and bonding. It is likely that announcements of additional military support would be made during the visit. The traditions between the two armies, which have bound them together must continue and these must not be linked to political issues.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army