New Delhi, May 10
India will resume non-lethal defence supplies to Nepal shortly but arms and ammunition will be provided to Kathmandu only after King Gyanendra acts on three important pre-requisites: restoration of multi-party democracy, release of all political leaders and lifting of all curbs on the media.
Authoritative diplomatic sources, both here and in Kathmandu, told The Tribune this evening that Indian Ambassador in Nepal, Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, in his meeting with King Gyanendra yesterday, conveyed this message of the Government of India in as many words.
The defence supplies consignment, which is to be sent to Kathmandu shortly, comprises of mainly vehicles, night vision devices and jackets. More importantly, this consignment is only that which was in the pipeline.
The sense which New Delhi is getting from Kathmandu is that King Gyanendra is realising that international pressure on him would continue to mount and there was no way he could hold his horses on the three pre-requisites mentioned above. Indications are that the issuance of a royal decree to this effect is only a matter of time.
In response to a question on resumption of Indian military supplies to Nepal, an official spokesperson said in keeping defence supplies to the Royal Nepal Army under review, the Government of India had conveyed to the Government of Nepal the need to lift emergency and media censorship and release all political party leaders and activists.
The King was also advised to take the initiative to bring the political parties and the institution of monarchy together in a broad national effort to deal with the political and economic challenges facing Nepal.
In meetings that he had
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh in Jakarta last month, the King of Nepal had indicated his intention to take steps towards these objectives. In this context, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had agreed to consider the issue of supplies to the Royal Nepal Army in the proper perspective. Interestingly, India and Nepal had entered into an arms agreement in 1965. One of the clauses in this agreement spelt out that in the event of any shortfalls in the supply of arms and equipment by the Government of India to Nepal, the Governments of the USA and UK would furnish some defence assistance in order to supplement the assistance from India.
In this sense, India’s role as a supplier of arms to Nepal was emphasised. In other words, it meant restating the link in the mutual security concerns of the two countries.
However, this agreement has been infructuous for years because Kathmandu never honoured it. Nepal has got defence supplies from countries like China and Pakistan.
