Indian Double Standard in Nepal

Recently, UK and the USA have joined hands with India in opposing the justified and essential moves taken by His Majesty the King of Nepal. Without having the proper knowledge of India?s violation of human rights, UK and USA have joined hands with India in order to humiliate and intimidate Nepal into submission to the Indian pressure. This is very unwise and unfriendly act on the part of UK and the USA. All friends of Nepal must note that India is not committed to human rights and democracy within India. What right does India have to talk about human rights and democracy in Nepal when it does not allow its own citizens to enjoy those rights?

By poking its nose on the internal affairs of Nepal, India has shown its true intentions on Nepal. India wants Nepal to behave like Bhutan. Bhutan is an Indian colony. Nepal refused and fought back the British when the latter tried to colonize Nepal. Even the British Empire could not colonize Nepal. Therefore, it is a futile exercise on the part of India to attempt to colonize Nepal even if it is on the pretext of bringing democracy and human rights. Speaking of human rights and democracy in India: do the people of Kashmir deserve human rights and democracy? When was the last election held in Kashmir? Do they have the right to self determination? Can India allow a referendum to see if Kashmiris want to be an independent nation, or part of India or part of Pakistan?

How about the human rights and democracy for the people of Khalistan, Nagaland and Mizoram? If India believes in true democracy and press freedom why does it not allow the press freedom and let journalists visit these areas. Did India follow human rights and press freedom and freedom of religion when it massacred the Sikhs right in the Holy Golden temple in Punjab?

An illustration of the India?s lack of commitment for human rights and democracy is the presentation in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Doolittle and Congressman EDOLPHUS TOWNS are given below:

HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE presented in the US House of Representatives WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1999, Congressional Record, Page: E1616

Mr. Speaker, the world watches carefully the situation in Kashmir, where the Indian military attacked the Kashmiri freedom fighters to shut down the seventeen freedom movements within its borders. The effort did not go well for India, despite its claims of victory. An Indian military spokesman admitted that Indian troops were `dying like dogs .'

The Sikhs in Punjab, Khalistan have been very concerned that this war will spread to their homeland, where they are also seeking self-determination. One of India's strategies for keeping the freedom movements from succeeding is to set the minority nations against each other. In pursuit of this divide-and-rule strategy, they have sent Sikh soldiers to fight the Kashmiris, as they have done in Nagaland. The Christians in Nagaland have been fighting for their freedom for the last 52 years.

The Council of Khalistan wrote an open letter to the Sikh soldiers and officers. They called on the soldiers and officers to stop `dying like dogs' for the Indian government. The letter asked Sikh soldiers if they would rather die as Sikh martyrs or mercenaries for Indian oppression. It urged them to stop shooting at their fellow freedom fighters in Kashmir and join the movement to free Khalistan.

The reasons why Khalistan and the other nations of South Asia should enjoy their freedom have been outlined by many of us in the past, and they have not changed. Amnesty International reports that thousands of political prisoners are being held without charge or trial. Some of them have been in illegal custody for 15 years.

If India is democratic and if there is no support for the freedom movements, as India claims, then why not let the peoples of the subcontinent vote on their political status? America should support self-determination for all the nations and peoples. We should declare our support for the freedom movements and the right of self-determination and stop aid to the repressive Indian regime. INDIA IS USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN KASHMIR; U.S. SHOULD STOP ITS PRO-INDIA TILT

HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

In the US House of Representatives

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1999

[Congressional Record, Page: E1317]

Mr. Speaker, I was disturbed to find out that India has been using chemical weapons in its war against the freedom fighters of Kashmir. Reuters, CNN, the BBC, the Associated Press, and others have all reported that India fired chemical weapons shells into Pakistan. Remember that India's nuclear tests last year started the nuclear arms race in South Asia, which is very destabilizing to our ally Pakistan, to India , the subcontinent, and the world.

In recent days, there have been news reports of a mass exodus from border villages in Punjab, the homeland of the Sikhs. According to at least one report, 70 percent of the population of these villages has fled. These Sikhs are apparently afraid that India's war on the freedom fighters will spread to Punjab. There are good reasons to believe this. India sent a new deployment of troops to Punjab, Khalistan. These troops are on top of the half-million troops who were already stationed in Punjab to suppress the Sikh freedom movement.

Mr. Speaker, this situation is entirely India's responsibility. India that started the conflict in Kargil to wipe out the freedom movement in Kashmir and scare the other freedom movements into submitting to Indian rule. India introduced nuclear weapons to South Asia last year and introduced chemical weapons into this conflict. These are weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Speaker. Indian has brought these weapons of mass destruction to South Asia. Why do we still give aid from American tax dollars to India ? ??.

The same countries which have opposed the steps taken by the King of Nepal have supported the military rulers in Pakistan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, and many other countries. The UN and other countries which are opposing the actions of the King of Nepal do support the absolute rule by Kings of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Bhutan, Swaziland, and many others. In many of the Arab countries females are not even allowed to vote in any kind of elections. They are not allowed to show their face in public. Females are not allowed to drive. Well, no one has said anything about the human right of the people of these countries. Therefore, is it not a double standard to disapprove the temporary measures applied by the King of Nepal? The UN and EU and others also support the communist countries such as People?s Republic of China, Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea and Cambodia Therefore, why is it a problem when the King of Nepal imposes a temporary state of emergency to control a communist insurgency and massive corruption by the government?

It seems that big, powerful and rich countries have separate rules for small and poor countries. Even the UN favors the big and powerful countries. It is apparent that small countries do not have the right to the rule of law. They do not have the right to protect their own citizens from the terrorists. They do not have the right to stop plundering by corrupt politicians. Is that the justice that UK and the USA stand for? Did Congressman Leach and State Department Official Mr. Camp look at the congressional records mentioned above before they talked about collaborating with India concerning the developments in Nepal on Congressional Hearings on Nepal?

UK and the USA must also note that India had been supporting the Nepalese terrorists until two years ago. May be India is supporting the insurgents even today. The Nepalese insurgents get all their weapons from India. Majority of the insurgent leadership are living comfortably in India with the full knowledge of Indian authorities. Leader of Nepal?s largest party Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal met the Nepalese insurgent leaders in Lucknow, India about two years ago. It was the second time Mr. Nepal visited them in India. He had previously met them in Siliguri India. Similarly, Mr. Girija Koirala met the leaders of insurgent group at least two times in India. One of the meetings was reported to have been arranged by Indian politicians.

By taking advantage of the internal problems in Nepal, India has also illegally built a number of dams in the rivers flowing from Nepal into India. The dams are built so high and so close to the Nepalese border that a number of villages and towns on the Nepalese side have been drowned. A lot of people have been made homeless and destitute as a result of the Indian actions which are against the International norms and treaties. Moreover, India is also busy moving the border pillars along the Nepal-India border. It was reported that India has already illegally moved 64 border pillars and is in the process of moving more of them because Nepal is too busy fighting a civil war.

Our friendship with both UK and the USA is older than young India. Therefore, Nepalese people request both the governments not to support India in its attempt to subjugate Nepal at its time of great crisis. Nepalese people would appreciate it if they get the support when they need the most.

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