India officially lifts its unofficial blockade of Nepal

[[Bregs]]

There is no blockade placed by India, its a law and order issue because of Nepal's internal politics.

The Madheshi-based political parties in Nepal are unhappy over the new Constitution and the concept of federalism.

i am also saying same thing but along with this we have reacted very late over constitution drafting issue and thats our failure

 

[Hindustani78]

i am also saying same thing but along with this we have reacted very late over constitution drafting issue and thats our failure

During Nepal earth Quake , India has open doors to help the Nepali people.

But after the earth quake , Nepal is trying to rebuilt itself but it seems conditions are placed by the Chinese which are not being accepted by majority of Nepalis.

 

[[Bregs]]

During Nepal earth Quake , India has open doors to help the Nepali people.

But after the earth quake , Nepal is trying to rebuilt itself but it seems conditions are placed by the Chinese which are not being accepted by majority of Nepalis.

you are not getting my point bro that india always had a good influence but its our systematic sustained diplomatic failure and now its tough to manage the relations

 

[Hindustani78]

you are not getting my point bro that india always had a good influence but its our systematic sustained diplomatic failure and now its tough to manage the relations

Nepal is SAARC state and we are having friendly relations with them.

Nepal is entirely dependent on supply of petroleum products from India , “India played a key role in the peace process but I wonder if New Delhi’s hesitance to play a more active role towards the end of the constitution process led us to this situation,” said Daman Nath Dhungana, former speaker of Nepal’s parliament and one of the drafters of the 1990 constitution.

 

[[Bregs]]

Nepal is SAARC state and we are having friendly relations with them.

Nepal is entirely dependent on supply of petroleum products from India , “India played a key role in the peace process but I wonder if New Delhi’s hesitance to play a more active role towards the end of the constitution process led us to this situation,” said Daman Nath Dhungana, former speaker of Nepal’s parliament and one of the drafters of the 1990 constitution.

i too fail to understand why things came to this far if all has been fine with Nepal till now, India ambassador too needs to be replaced there but he says he kept govt informed of the developments

 

[Hindustani78]

i too fail to understand why things came to this far if all has been fine with Nepal till now, India ambassador too needs to be replaced there but he says he kept govt informed of the developments

MEA is aware what its doing in Nepal .

These “amendments” have been conveyed to Nepal’s leadership by the Indian government through official channels Ranjit Rae, India’s ambassador to Nepal.

September 24, 2015 8:08 am

* Article 63 (3) of the Interim Constitution provided electoral constituencies based on population, geography and special characteristics, “and in the case of Madhes on the basis of percentage of population”. Under this provision, Madhes, with more than 50 per cent of the population, got 50 per cent of seats in Parliament. The latter phrase has been omitted in Article 84 of the new Constitution. “It needs to be re-inserted so that Madhes continues to have electoral constituencies in proportion to its population,”

* In Article 21 of the Interim Constitution, it was mentioned that various groups would have “the right to participate in state structures on the basis of principles of proportional inclusion”. In the new Constitution (Article 42), the word “proportional” has been dropped — Delhi wants it re-inserted.

* Article 283 of the Constitution states that only citizens by descent will be entitled to hold the posts of President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Chairperson of National Assembly, Head of Province, Chief Minister, Speaker of Provincial Assembly and Chief of Security Bodies. This clause is seen as discriminatory for the large number of Madhesis who have acquired citizenship by birth or naturalisation. Delhi says this should be amended to include citizenship by birth or naturalisation.

* Article 86 of the new Constitution states that National Assembly will comprise 8 members from each of 7 States and 3 nominated members. Madhesi parties want representation in National Assembly to be based on population of the Provinces. This, Delhi says, should be done to address concerns.

* Five disputed districts of Kanchanpur, Kailali, Sunsari, Jhapa and Morang: Based on the majority of the population, these districts or parts of them may be included in the neighbouring Madhes Provinces.

* Article 154 of the Interim Constitution provided for delineation of electoral constituencies every 10 years. This has been increased to 20 years in Article 281 of the new Constitution. Echoing the Madhesi parties, India wants this restored to 10 years.

* Article 11(6) states that a foreign woman married to a Nepali citizen may acquire naturalised citizenship of Nepal as provided for in a federal law. Madhesi parties want acquisition of naturalised citizenship to be automatic on application. This also finds favour with Delhi.

 

[Hindustani78]

Nepal rattled as Minister calls for Indian Army’s intervention - The Hindu
Updated: November 4, 2015 02:14 IST

Moderates urge caution as tension continues at Birganj on the border
Provocative speeches and sporadic violence by different political sections of Nepal added to the tension at Birganj on the India-Nepal border, which has been under indefinite curfew since Monday’s crackdown by the Nepali Police.

The Government of Nepal was rattled on Monday when, in a sensational press conference at Biratnagar, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s junior colleague Satya Narayan Mandal demanded that the Indian Army enter Nepal to ensure the rights and security of the people of the Madhes region.

The comments from Mr. Mandal, a Madhesi leader, was the first from any Nepali politician asking for India to intervene militarily in Nepal.

His comments drew a sharp condemnatory statement from the Indian Embassy which urged “all responsible persons to refrain from doing or saying anything that may negatively impact on the age-old ties between India and Nepal.”

Façade of consensus

However, Mr. Mandal’s comments showed that the police action in Birganj has broken the façade of consensus which allowed Prime Minister Oli to draw last moment support from several Madhesi parties during the October 11 prime ministerial election that pitted him against Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress.

Cautioning against reckless emotionalism, Rubina Mahato, columnist and prominent young Madhesi voice, told The Hindu both the Madhesis — the people from the 800-km-long foothill region of Nepal — and the leadership of the Kathmandu Valley should take steps to reduce tension as the blockade had lasted beyond a reasonable limit.

“Madhesis have also intimidated fellow Madhesis. Not all shades of opinions are allowed to come out in the Madhesi region. The extremist elements on both sides have taken over the civil society promoting inter-ethnic hatred within Nepal,” Ms. Mahato said as Nepal struggled with the crippling blockade.

During the police action of November 2, authorities had managed to allow 200 trucks into Nepal but since then the indefinite curfew and protesting local mobs have reinforced the blockade.

Speaking over telephone from Kathmandu, Lal Babu Raut of the Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum (Nepal) reiterated that the police action had eliminated trust between the government and the Madhesis. “Under present circumstances we will not speak to the government out of respect for the public emotion.”



Supplies from China

Nepali sources said that under the current circumstances, the main lifeline of the Kathmandu Valley which runs through Birganj remains blocked though trickling supplies have begun from the Tatopani crossing in the north from China. The severe nature of the blockade at Birganj has crushed the spirit of Diwali and Chhat puja in the Kathmandu Valley where tense atmosphere prevailed as talks have been cancelled by the United Madhesi Democratic Front which said that its activists were attacked in Birganj within six hours of a successful meeting with the government on November 1.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Kamal Thapa, has reached Geneva where his participation in the review meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council is being awaited.

 

[Hindustani78]

India continues to supply a third of Nepal's fuel requirement

New Delhi, Nov 4, 2015, PTI:

Unperturbed by Nepal's fuel pact with China, India continues to supply at least a third of the Himalayan nation's daily fuel demand through alternative routes after the main transit point on Nepal-Bihar border was blocked by protesters.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp is using alternative entry points to Nepal from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to reach 32-35 per cent of Nepal's daily requirement of 6,612 kilolitres of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF and LPG, IOC Chairman B Ashok said here.

"We are continuing to supply fuel to Nepal. Obviously there are some difficulties not because of us but because of political protests on their side which has led to choking of the Raxaul-Birgunj border crossing (Indo-Nepal)," he said.

Trucks carrying fuel are being sent from Baitalpur near Gorakhpur, Gonda and Banthra in Uttar Pradesh as well as Siliguri in West Bengal.

IOC supplied close to 80 per cent of the 1.1 million tons of fuel to Nepal through the Raxual border. But this main border crossing between Nepal and India has been closed due to weeks of violent protests by ethnic Madhesis against the newly adopted Nepalese Constitution.

Truck tankers that carry fuel to Nepal are owned by the national oil company of the Himalayan nation and they have not been able to cross border to reach IOC fueling depots.

"Ultimately, trucks will have to reach us. The protests have meant that their (Nepali) trucks are not able to reach our depots. We are ready to supply any quantity of fuel but we do not own the trucks. Their trucks have to reach us. When they do we immediately fill them and they transport it back," he said.

Last week, Nepal, which had to ration fuel supplies due to shortage created because of protests, signed an agreement with China to import gasoline (petrol), diesel and cooking gas (LPG). Nepal Oil Corp and National United Oil Corp (PetroChina) signed a MoU for the fuel supply.

But bringing in fuel from China is a logistical challenge as the border runs along the world's highest mountains and the two crossings were damaged by the earthquake in April. Only one has reopened this month.

China was to supply 1,000 tonnes of fuel to Nepal as part of the pact but only a third of it reached the country.

Four tankers could transport the fuel on Monday as the road to Kerung Pass along Nepal-Tibet border was obstructed following snowfall.

Asked about threat from Chinese supplies, Ashok said India has had a very long relationship with Nepal. "We believe we would continue to be a good partner. They know our strength and know that we have been a reliable supplier to them."


Nepal imported about 1.37 billion litres of fuel last year from IOC for USD 1.05 billion. IOC in August also agreed to build a 41-kilometre pipeline that would obliterate the need for truck movement through Raxual. PTI ANZIndia continues to supply a third of Nepal's fuel requirement.

New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Unperturbed by Nepal's fuel pact with China, India continues to supply at least a third of the Himalayan nation's daily fuel demand through alternative routes after the main transit point on Nepal-Bihar border was blocked by protesters.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp is using alternative entry points to Nepal from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to reach 32-35 per cent of Nepal's daily requirement of 6,612 kilolitres of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF and LPG, IOC Chairman B Ashok said here.

"We are continuing to supply fuel to Nepal. Obviously there are some difficulties not because of us but because of political protests on their side which has led to choking of the Raxaul-Birgunj border crossing (Indo-Nepal)," he said.

Trucks carrying fuel are being sent from Baitalpur near Gorakhpur, Gonda and Banthra in Uttar Pradesh as well as Siliguri in West Bengal.

IOC supplied close to 80 per cent of the 1.1 million tons of fuel to Nepal through the Raxual border. But this main border crossing between Nepal and India has been closed due to weeks of violent protests by ethnic Madhesis against the newly adopted Nepalese Constitution.

Truck tankers that carry fuel to Nepal are owned by the national oil company of the Himalayan nation and they have not been able to cross border to reach IOC fueling depots.

"Ultimately, trucks will have to reach us. The protests have meant that their (Nepali) trucks are not able to reach our depots. We are ready to supply any quantity of fuel but we do not own the trucks. Their trucks have to reach us. When they do we immediately fill them and they transport it back," he said.

Last week, Nepal, which had to ration fuel supplies due to shortage created because of protests, signed an agreement with China to import gasoline (petrol), diesel and cooking gas (LPG). Nepal Oil Corp and National United Oil Corp (PetroChina) signed a MoU for the fuel supply.

But bringing in fuel from China is a logistical challenge as the border runs along the world's highest mountains and the two crossings were damaged by the earthquake in April. Only one has reopened this month.

China was to supply 1,000 tonnes of fuel to Nepal as part of the pact but only a third of it reached the country.

Four tankers could transport the fuel on Monday as the road to Kerung Pass along Nepal-Tibet border was obstructed following snowfall.

Asked about threat from Chinese supplies, Ashok said India has had a very long relationship with Nepal. "We believe we would continue to be a good partner. They know our strength and know that we have been a reliable supplier to them."

Nepal imported about 1.37 billion litres of fuel last year from IOC for USD 1.05 billion. IOC in August also agreed to build a 41-kilometre pipeline that would obliterate the need for truck movement through Raxual.

 

[Hindustani78]

Nepal’s Deputy PM Kamal Thapa made the comments at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday. File photo: Prashant Nakwe

Amendments to charter will resolve Nepal crisis: Kamal Thapa - The Hindu


Speaking at the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council of the UN in Geneva, Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Kamal Thapa, on Wednesday expressed hope that the differences in his country which arose following the promulgation of the new Constitution could be dealt by timely amendments in the future.

Criticising the protests and the blockade which arose following the promulgation, Mr Thapa said, the blockade hurts land-locked Nepal’s international rights. Highlighting the impact that the blockade has left on his country, he further stated, “The continuous obstructions at border points under any pretext has severely impeded the exercise of rights and freedom that Nepal is entitled under the international law as a land-locked country”. Mr Thapa’s speech became a landmark as it was the first occasion when Nepal took up a bilateral issue with India on an international platform.

But in an unprecedented intervention following the Minister's presentation, India laid out a series of steps for Nepal to stabilise internal law and order situation. The Indian delegation stated that, “Obstruction referred in the Hon’ble Minister’s statement is on Nepalese side caused by Nepalese protesters.” The statement by India also highlighted the extrajudicial killings, and the deaths that were reported during the ongoing blockade. The Indian statement bared the points that were not mentioned in Mr Thapa's presentation.

Expressing his government’s desire to deal with the crippling ongoing blockade and inter-ethnic tension, Mr. Thapa said: “We are quite optimistic in view of our ability and competence to resolve our differences on our own for the national interest of the country.”

In his speech, in defence of the Nepali Constitution and human rights record, Mr. Thapa highlighted that the present government led by Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli has been holding a national dialogue with the Madhesi and the Tharu communities of the Terai region.

The speech at the UNHRC came as an elaborate defence of the Nepali constitution which was promulgated on September 20 and was followed by the prolonged blockade on the economic gateways of Nepal located on the India-Nepal border.

‘Avoid interference’

China on Wednesday called on Nepal to resolve the differences over the new charter without “outside interference,” a veiled reference to India amid the agitation by Indian-origin Madhesis.

“China is closely following the situation in Nepal,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, when asked about the stir.

 

[Hindustani78]

Madhesi protesters vandalise vehicles, torch truck near border
Kathmandu, Nov 11, 2015 (PTI)

Madhesi protesters have attacked Nepalese vehicles carrying essential goods and torched a truck near the Indo-Nepal border as they continued their protests against the new Constitution.
Cadres of Joint Madhesi Front vandalised vehicles carrying essential goods to Kathmandu by throwing petrol bombs.

Three vehicles were attacked by agitators at Bhawanipur Chowk of Birgunj near the Raxaul border last night.

The Madhesi protesters also torched a truck and vandalised three other vehicles in Birgunj yesterday.

The incidents come even as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "all sides" to immediately lift the blockade on the Indo-Nepal border as the country was heading towards a serious humanitarian crisis.

Nepal is recovering from the massive earthquake over six months ago.

Meanwhile, Nepal Oil Corporation has decided to send a delegation to Dhaka to look for alternatives for importing fuel, officials said.

The team will study the possibilities regarding importing fuel, mainly LPG, from Bangladesh amid an acute shortage of both petroleum products and cooking gas in the Himalayan nation.

Nepal government has imported around 200,000 litres of petroleum products from China in the wake of the continued blockade on the country's southern border.

People in Nepal are celebrating Deepawali amidst a massive shortage of fuel and cooking gas. Market prices have soared due to the shortage of essential goods in the wake of the two month-long blockade in the country.

Nepal has been hit by a major political crisis over the new Constitution opposed by Indian-origin Madhesis who have led an agitation and blockaded key border trade points of Nepal with India, leading to a shortage of essential goods including fuel and cooking gas.

Madhesis, Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal's Terai region, are protesting division of their ancestral homeland in the new Constitution.

Over 40 people have died in the violent agitation that has also overwhelmed Indo-Nepal ties as transit of goods and fuel to the Himalayan nation from India via the major border trading points has been badly affected.
The agitation by Madhesi groups has paralysed normal life across Nepal while the dearth of medicines has put lives of patients at stake.

 

[Hindustani78]

Oct. 14, 2015 photo, trucks stand stranded at Raxaul, in East Champaran district of India's Bihar state, near the India-Nepal border. Nepal has accused India of imposing an economic blockade to support the Madhesis, who have strong links with India, in their demand for more constitutional representation. But India insists the problem is Nepal's, and that Indian truck drivers won't resume their deliveries because they are afraid to cross into the middle of a protest camp


Nepal facing medicine shortages due to fuel crisis, blockade - The Hindu

"We are running out of medicine in our store, and if this continues, we will surely face a crisis," said Yuvraj K.C., who runs a pharmacy in Kathmandu.
Shortages of life-saving medicine because of political protests in Nepal that have blocked key roads could lead to a crisis, as hospitals have started to cut services, doctors said on Thursday.

“If the situation of shortages continues, patients could start dying after two weeks,” Shrestha said.

Truckloads of medicine have been blocked at the main border crossing with India for the last few months by Nepal’s Madhesi ethnic protesters, he said, adding that Indian authorities were also not allowing the shipments across even at points where there are no protests.

The traditionally marginalized Madhesis have been protesting Nepal’s new constitution, demanding to be given greater autonomy over local matters. Talks between the protesters and the government have made little progress.

India, which has close cultural ties with the group, has restricted fuel and other goods to Nepal.

Nepal imports about 60 per cent of its medicine from India. The remaining locally made drugs also get most of the raw material and packaging from India.

Most of the fuel comes from India, and the restriction has led to severe shortages in Nepal. Fuel rationing has led to buses and trucks cutting down services. People travel on rooftops and taxis charge four times the normal rate.

Besides the emergency medicines, patients with long-term illnesses including high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney and heart diseases, were also having difficulty finding medicine.

“I went to 12 shops before I found 30 pills of my blood pressure medicine. I was looking for medicine to cover all winter,” said Narendra Rajbansi (60), standing next to the row of pharmacies near Bir Hospital. “I have problems when I don’t take medication for two days in a row. I don’t know what I am going to do if this situation continues.”

“We are running out of medicine in our store, and if this continues, we will surely face a crisis,” said Yuvraj K.C., who runs a pharmacy in Kathmandu.