Hours after raising the ongoing political crisis in Nepal at the United Nations for the first time, India has denied giving an international dimension to its bilateral relationship with the neighbouring nation. However, at the same time, the Government clarified that India cannot watch mutely from the sidelines on the human rights violations taking place in the Himalayan country.
India has also refused to take blame for shortage of supplies in Nepal or creating any “blockade” and urged Nepal to put its house in order and carry out investigations in extra-judicial killings. “There is no international dimension. What India said at the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is part of the internationally agreed process and as part of Nepal’s membership of the UNHRC,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Thursday.
During the Interactive Dialogue at 23rd Session of the UPR Working Group in Geneva on Thursday, India urged Nepal to ensure end of violence and resumption of dialogue with the protesting and aggrieved groups.
“Violence and instability in parts of Nepal has worsened in the run-up to and after the adoption of Nepal’s Constitution in September 2015… We are concerned over the lack of political progress”, India said at the UN in Geneva.
It further stressed: “We note the concerns expressed by UN human rights bodies, UN Country Team and Nepal’s own Human Rights Commission over continuing incidents of violence, extra-judicial killings and ethnic discrimination in the country. We urge the Government of Nepal to investigate and take credible measures to prevent their recurrence. Problems facing Nepal are political in nature and cannot be resolved through force or a security-based approach. As a close and friendly neighbour, India has consistently appealed to the Government of Nepal to address all challenges in a spirit of dialogue and reconciliation.”
India also refuted allegations from the Nepalese side of creating and obstructions for movement of trucks and supplies and clarified at the international forum that the “obstruction is on Nepalese side caused by Nepalese protesters. India, with deep rooted historic and cultural ties, will continue to extend all assistance to Nepal, for peace, stability and socio-economic development of the country.”
In New Delhi on Thursday, Swarup gave the entire data of trucks that have crossed over with supplies and those stuck at Raxaul and Sunailiy crossing points. As on date 6,906 trucks are waiting at these borders to cross. “The problem in Nepal is a political problem and has to have a political solution and that what we have been urging Nepal consistently from day one and that is what we will continue doing. There is a problem in Nepal due to disaffection among the section of the Nepali population and sooner the Nepalese leadership reaches out to that particular section and reaches to some kind of accommodation, the sooner our supplies can resume which has been caused entirely by the blockade at the Nepalese side of the border”, Swarup said.
Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner in Kathmandu has sought investigation report from government of Nepal on the killing of an Indian by Nepal police during a protest in Birganj on November 2