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| One of the famous Pillars along the Nepal-India borders. (Image Courtsey: Ekantipur.com) |
One issue which has been central to Nepal’s national pride and nationalism is the issue of her borders with the neighbours India and China. There have long been inconsistencies regarding the national border which has led to a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction amongst the citizenry.
Various diplomats, intellectuals, political parties and several groups have long been raising this issue due to their national importance, and sometimes plainly for the purposes of popular appraisal. For a rational and constructive nationalist, a proper look into Nepal’s frontiers and the resolution of confusions is of prime importance.
Understanding of Nepal’s Border Issues
Nepal’s borders have been the modifications of the historic Greater Nepal redrawn murkily by various treaties and agreements (and of course their various interpretations).
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This map by Mr. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha shows 71 areas of border dispute with India and the 2 unresolved issues with China.
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Nepal’s borders with China are primarily drawn in accordance with the Thapathali Treaty and the agreements that followed.
Nepal’s borders with China are largely settled except for a plot of 6 hectors.
Nepal’s borders with India are primarily a result of two major instances: first, Sugauli treaty and the corrections to it and second the gifts from the British in favor of suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny.
The borders with India, however, are largely vague and undetermined for various reasons and the ownership of a whopping 600 square kilometers of land area is disputed.
One of the major reasons why Nepal-India border is a matter of disagreement is due to the use of dynamic and equivocal natural barriers. For example, the river which may change its course every now and then as is seen in the Sushta Region of Nawalparasi where due to constant westward shift of the Narayani (or Gandak) River. Similarly the origins of a river can be variously determined according to the observer’s opinion as seen in cases of nearly 400 square kilometers of area at Kalapani-Limpiyadhura area at Mahakaali River or the historically significant dispute of Antoo Hill at Mechi River. While various political parties have vociferously raised this issue when they are out of the government, they have largely felt it profitable to keep a mum on these issues when they are in power. Thus a lack of political determination and stance as a result of opportunistic short sighted politics from Nepalese side has led to feeble voices against blatant non-acceptance of the Junge Pillars as boundary pillars or their misplacement by the Indian side. Examples of other reasons why Junge pillars are vanishing are the construction of river dams too close to the border which drowns the entire border area resulting in mass migration of villagers on the Nepalese side of the border. Similarly due to the historic and cultural associations between peoples living on either side of the border, a clear demarcation is troublesome. There are people who possess holdings on either side of the border which has also made it technically challenging for drawing clear lines. To add to that due to various reasons including the ever prolonging political instability, the Nepalese side is yet to put a security force on its border which has led to allegations of aggression from the Indian Border Security forces; which in some cases is true.
Trying to solve Nepal’s Border Issues
Well, efforts have been made. A Nepal-India Joint Technical Level Boundary Committee was formed in November 1981 which has been working to look over the border issues of Nepal and India; however they have only been able to suggest the border lines in 97% of the length and a vast land area is still unsettled and has been forwarded to the political leadership for resolution. Furthermore there have been voices of dissatisfaction raised by the Nepalese officials and diplomats regarding the validity of the ‘completed’ 97%.
Conclusion
The course of the future regarding the border issues with India is important. For if the conclusions are a hasty hodgepodge, they shall bring a widespread sense of betrayal amongst the people of a nation; similarly if the issues are not resolved in a reasonable amount of time, there shall be greater socio-cultural gorges that may disrupt the harmony between the nations.
Bearing all this in mind we can conclude that the issues of border dispute should be solved by Nepal and India based on the principles of coexistence and equal respect. The Nepalese leaders should be historically rational and nationalistically uncompromising, using historical documents and pragmatic diplomacy to the utmost, while moving forward in the resolution of the border issues of Nepal.
