NP Upadhyaya: Nepal is a fertile land for conducting experiments whether it be of the social or for that matter political domain. You can have such experiments with the religion even. The choice is yours.

Nepal welcomes people from across the globe, more so from Europe, to come to here and conduct experiments of their taste and get the desired results.

As regards politics, glad to share that India, born 1947, has taken the burden on our behalf to conduct experiments and then determine for Nepal as to what sort of political system shall suit for us and who should be awarded the key political role in Nepal so that the carefully picked up political personality (ties) be able to pass on the entire political details of Nepal, including that of the security and the foreign policy related issues.

Late Atal Behari Bajpayee experimented with Nepal Maoists by providing them with adequate shelter in Delhi so this way Bajpayee was not a friend of Nepal from his hearts. (RIP).

He was an Indian but not a Nepali national who prefer to serve others ignoring their own motherland. He never compromised with his country’s interests but our political leaders did.

Late Bajpayee had lip service for Nepal’s Zone of Peace Proposal. Neither he accepted nor denied the proposal. Nepal’s ZOP was repulsive for Indian leaders. And why should he love Nepal? Yet as a person, Atal jee was modest. (RIP) Modi is from the same BJP.

We have become Guinea Pigs.

Ajit Doval was in Singapore playing tricks with Nepali politics, we have been told. Thanks Shyam Saran for his devastating acts that damaged Nepal to this extent to which we ourselves had desired and now he has handed over his former job to Ajit Bhai.

He will accomplish the rest of the tasks which Saran left unfinished like the Madhesh uprising that divided the nation into two equal halves. Thanks for his magnanimity.

India personally has taken also the burden of fomenting troubles in Nepal, both internal as well external, as she thinks that poor Nepali people have no guts to create ugly political scenes and so she more often than not takes appropriate steps that even encourages the people here for initiating a regime change movement of the sort of what we have had in the year 2005-6. Our own vibrant media assists the Indian regime in making Nepali politics volatile. Nepal believes now in sponsored movements.

India is not however, alone in these events. Some of our own brilliant fifth columns side with the Indian regime in order to speed up the Indian tryouts being carried in Nepal beginning the Indira Gandhi days which has now been taken up by talkative Modi jee.

In turn the domestic quislings are paid secretly for their marvelous job done in insulting their own motherland. It has become a part time job for some of us to keep themselves engaged in serving aliens and their interests albeit which is not for free.

The spies have their own world in Nepal. But what if their children know of their parent’s business?

So it becomes our bounden duty to be of some help in assisting India so that she too could find itself mired in problems of the sort of which we have been facing since 2005-6 and to mark our bond of friendship with India we too have dared to talk of the Khalistan movement that has taken a new momentum beginning this 12 August and the venue has been the Trafalgar Square in London wherein the local Sikh population in close association with the Sikh Community residing in UK, USA and Canada wherein they in no uncertain terms demanded the creation of Khalistan-a separate country for the entire Punjabi population.

In fact, the Sikh community which hails mainly from Punjab have been demanding Khalistan since the early 1980s more so after the 1984 Sikh massacre.

Notably, thousands of Sikhs were tentatively butchered by the Indian government to seek revenge the killing of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The scared Sikh population then preferred to leave India for good and take shelter abroad where they would live a secured life.

The Operation Blue Star terrified the Sikhs and have had to flee India to escape genocide that it was across India.

In the process, the Sikhs accumulated in the UK, the US and Canada primarily. A small chunk of the terrified Sikhs entered into Nepal and could now be seen in the Kupandole area in Kathmandu where one Gurudwara stands tall for the worship of their Guru.

To recall, the Queen of independent and sovereign Kingdom of Punjab, Maharani Zind Kaur, the consort of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh had taken shelter in Nepal long time back during the time of Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana. Jang Bahadur granted asylum to the queen on humanitarian grounds, historians have put the facts in the record.

The Sikhs have taken Nepal as their own motherland and in turn the people of Nepal too have taken them as their own brothers and sisters. The same treatment perhaps they get in the countries wherein they have now settled themselves.

In UK and Canada to say the least, several Sikhs have become a part of the politics of the countries they are now settled. In Canada several Sikhs have been holding key political positions much to the discomfort of the Indian government, we have been told.

Growing numbers and economic success has helped hardliner Sikhs to join active politics in many Western countries. In the UK election in June 2017, Sikh diaspora worked overtime to get a turban wearing MP elected to the UK parliament and so is with the Sikhs residing in Canada. Four Sikhs are now in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. The Sikhs living other than India take the 1984 event of Delhi as the day of Sikhs genocide to which the Indian government denies.

Nepali people admit that the road transportation networks took a real shape with the Sikhs residing in Kathmandu and Birganj. The Lok Bhakta Transport established by Sri Preetam Singh is considered to be the greatest contribution made by Punjabi nationals to Nepal. Several Punjabi families have settled for good in Biratnagar, Bhairahava and Nepal Ganj as well.

Now let’s visit London: News agencies and several TV Channels have reported that a pro- and an anti-Khalistan rally took place in central London on Sunday, with a considerable British police presence. (Based on TV channels).

In a rally at the Trafalgar Square, over 2,000 pro-Khalistan demonstrators took part in support of a non-binding referendum in 2020, popularly known as the London Declaration, for an independent and sovereign Sikh nation. The group was organized, news reports say, by the US-based group Sikhs for Justice, though the rally attracted demonstrators from across the United Kingdom and various parts of Europe.

Chanting slogans such as “Khalistan Zindabad”, the demonstrators waved flags and wore T-Shirts supporting the referendum. Alongside speeches and chanting prayers took place.
Sat Siri Akal…Jo Boley So Nihal….

Among those to speak at the rally was Lord Nazir Ahmed, a non-affiliated member of the House of Lords, who organized an anti-India rally outside the Indian High Commission on Republic Day earlier this year. “I believe in Khalistan for my Sikh brothers and sisters,” he said at the rally.

Likewise, pro-India supporters too appeared in the scene in order to blunt the efforts of the champions of the Khalistan movement which, undoubtedly, has taken already a dim form which time permitting may take a formal structure with life should the Khalistan organizers strengthen their organization and reach out to the people of their own community across the globe in the days ahead with total commitment.

Punjab as stated earlier was a sovereign and independent nation ruled by King Ranjeet Singh. Lahore was Punjab Capital which now falls in Pakistan.

The Punjab King honored the Gorkha soldiers.

The jubilant Sikhs in London had the banners that read “Free Punjab, End Indian occupation”, “Punjab Referendum 2020 for Khalistan” and “We will re-establish Punjab as an independent country”.

The proud and energetic Sikhs of all ages chanted in favor of Khalistan and had all the appropriate negative words for Indian occupation.

The Indian government has expressed formal concern to London over the activity of expatriate Sikh nationals who want to create a homeland of Khalistan in India’s northern Punjab state.
Gurpatwant S. Pannun, legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice, said at the rally, “This is a peaceful, democratic campaign to give Sikhs the right to determine their own future.”

Jas Singh, 26, a demonstrator from London, told AFP news agency that “In India, anybody who speaks for a referendum gets picked up and put in jail.”

Correct assessment of what India is.

There was a small counter-demonstration of about a dozen people singing and holding up signs saying: “We stand for one united India.” The voice was feeble and went unheard thus.

Modi supporters naturally came out in denouncing the Khalistan movement.

We in Nepal will also write about Indian atrocities in Kashmir since partition days as India meddled in Nepal’s Madhesh affair brazenly. We must pay the obligation back.

To recall, Modi tried his best to split Nepal some two years ago and for that Delhi engineered a dangerous revolt in Nepal’s Terai-Madhesh, however, the nationalist and patriotic Nepali nationals understood the Modi trickery and turned down to dance to the tune of alien forces.

He will once again try his best to split Nepal. Take it for granted.

This saved Nepal. India is more than interested in splitting other nations, however, when it comes to India itself, Delhi gets irritated. Evil eyes are still on Nepal.

Now that the Punjabis across the globe have already vowed to have their own nation, they shall have it albeit it may take some time.

The UK government had sent a formal Note Verbale to New Delhi in advance after India repeatedly raised concerns over the Referendum 2020 event to be held in London on August 12 by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The UK government in the communication conveyed its inability in blocking the event citing the right that allows “people to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law”.

Stating that its police “have comprehensive powers to deal with such activities,” the response said that “any groups who spread hate or deliberately raise community fears and tensions by bringing disorder and violence to our towns and cities” will not be tolerated though.

Back to our own domestic politics. PM Modi is once again landing in Kathmandu which has scared the people in that they take Modi’s arrival as an inauspicious moment for the people and the country as has been witnessed in the past. Modi, the most unwanted guest that he is, this time is sure to disturb the peace and stability of this country. Modi shall in all likelihood press Nepal and its rulers to train their eyes to Look South as had already been instructed by one Indian individual called Ram Madhav on July 31, 2018 right being in Kathmandu. Modi has yet to seek apologies from the people of Nepal as suggested by Brahma Chellany.

More frightening is the news that the former Nepal Maoists Chairman Comrade Prachanda who resided for some good ten years in Delhi to wage his sponsored people’s war against Nepal, is all set to visit New Delhi as the government guest.

The Delhi indoctrinated political figure of Nepal is visiting India beginning September 7 next month. Observers take this Prachanda visit to New Delhi as to have been “calculatedly” planned to bring in fissure in the UML-Maoists unification so that PM Oli falls flat. Chances remain fair that Prachanda shall not deny to what he is being told by Delhi to act against PM Oli upon his return.

Though Oli too is a man comfortably close to Indian regime but yet comparatively speaking Prachanda is much closer to Delhi. So Oli would do well to take extra care and tighten his grip in the power structure before it is too late.

Similarly, after Delhi, Prachanda is visiting China. He is talked to have been acting like a middleman in between Delhi and Beijing for materializing the much talked idea of trilateral cooperation among the three countries e.g. Nepal, India and China.

Beijing knows that Dahal is India man but yet reposes trust on him. However, Beijing must take care for multiple reasons.

If Beijing is happy with Comrade Dahal, observers here too have no problem with their problems.

In the meanwhile, the Maldives has snubbed India in the recent days. The Archipelago nation wants India to withdraw military helicopters and personnel posted there following the expiry of an agreement in June, its envoy said, the latest snub to New Delhi by President Abdullah Yameen. The Maldives in the recent months has preferred to free itself from Indian domination and thus apparently inched close to China.

It is widely believed that India and China are going head to head in the Maldives, the Indian Ocean island chain where Beijing is building roads, bridges and a bigger airport, upstaging India which has been the country’s prime provider of military and civilian aid for decades. China has replaced India in South Asian region. India has opposed Yameen’s crackdown on political rivals and the imposition of an emergency this year and some of the president’s rivals have called on New Delhi for military intervention, creating worries in the Maldivian government.

The issue in between India and Male is that President Yameen wants the India donated helicopters out, but more importantly he wants the stationed Indian personnel out from Male. It is not the helicopters that trouble him so much, it is actually the fact that there are these people there. President Yameen has invited China to do a lot of infrastructure building and he suspects that India is trying to keep a watch, as in Nepal, on what the Chinese are doing and so wants to keep the Indians out.

Modi for sure dislikes the incumbent Maldivian President Yameen.

Baby Bhutan too has in the recent days and week’s distanced itself with India in that Thimpu very recently initiated high level talks with Beijing as discussed last week in this column. So Bangladesh remains still closer to India for some time to come.

The SAARC body is tentatively dead and now with the jingoism of Modi, the BIMSTEC is sure to die a premature death. Just wait for few years. China has thus reasons to enter and influence South Asia and beyond.

The US denied but yet the Pakistani military officers are likely to receive training in Russian Federation military institutes under a recent agreement signed by Pakistan and Russia.
The deal underscores Pakistan’s increasing friendship with Russia for its military needs amid strained relations with the U.S. It was signed earlier this week during a visit by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin.

The menace of ISIS in Afghanistan is a cause of concern for all the regional powers which has led to the formation of an unprecedented alliance of Russia, China, and Pakistan. In the current scenario, the United States needs Pakistan way more than another way around which is eminent from the failure and review of Trump administration’s South Asia policy in less than a year of enactment, say pundits of International relations.

The jealous Indian media has begun feeling the heat and says, Russia embraces Pakistan.

Perhaps sensing the underlying reasons (mentioned above) perhaps, the US has changed its political overtone as regards Pakistan Secretary of State Pompeo talked sense while congratulating Pakistan on its national day just the other day.

The Russian deal comes as local media reported the U.

S. has stopped financing military training in the U.S. for Pakistani soldiers – a step that Pakistani Sen. Mushahid Hussain called “wrong and counterproductive for some mysterious reasons.

With Imran Khan’s emergence as the new guard of Pakistan, new alignments are taking place replacing the old ones which tentatively adds strength to the saying that in international politics, national interests guide the friendship which is what has been happening with Pakistan.

In the meanwhile, Imran Khan is all set to be sworn in as new PM of Pakistan on 18 August. While we are writing this story, Pakistan’s newly elected parliament has already come into preliminary action and has met for the first time since last month’s general elections that saw the party of former cricket star turned politician Imran Khan win most seats, propelling him toward the post of the country’s next prime minister, writes Munir Ahmed and Zarar Khan for the Associated Press, from ISLAMABAD.

The lawmakers were sworn in at a brief ceremony in the 342-seat National Assembly, the decision-making lower house of parliament. Later on Monday, a fireworks display marked the eve of Pakistan’s Independence Day writes Munir and Zarar Khan.

For the Road: Interestingly, Ishtiaq Ali Mehkri for the Khaleej Times writes of the CPEC with the story titled CPEC is South Asia’s destiny, dated August 13 that “As far as Pakistan is concerned, CPEC is lifeline for development, and is the easiest way out to overcome stagnation. It is intended to promote connectivity across the length and breadth of Pakistan by building a network of highways, railways, and energy pipelines, inevitably upgrading the fragile infrastructure for a new era of development. CPEC-led communication and energy projects are a blessing in disguise for Pakistan’s reclusive regions, especially in its north towards China and the restive Baluchistan province.

The newspaper further writes that “This new trade linkage on the regional level that connects China to the Indian Ocean, linking the Chinese city of Kashgar to the Pakistani port of Gwadar, is an epoch-making strategic development, and could act as a game-changer in international politics. It collaborates with the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative outlined by Beijing in March 2015, as the highly ambitious plan calls for renewed investment in roads, railways, pipelines, ports and information networks to further economic connectivity across Asia and into Africa and Europe.
Nepal is happy in that the PM in waiting in Pakistan has already send positive signals to India which means that Khan has kept the option for a composite dialogue with India in order to sort out their long standing disputes. Modi too appears energetic and has responded positively. Let’s see who remains true to the commitments made.

Will Imran Khan emerge as a credible South Asian leader? A strong Pakistan is needed to keep South Asia secure from the evil designs.