News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Any kind of developments in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan draw global attention. This is because of the magnitude of impact India-Pakistan relations have in South Asia. The impact of the relationship between India and Pakistan is not limited to peace and stability not only in South Asia alone but goes beyond that and impacts on the entire world. Positive or negative, the developments in India-Pakistan bilateral relations send strong ripples globally. This is more so now than ever before because Asia has emerged as an international powerhouse with South Asia too emerging fast in the global arena economically. Now China and India are fastest growing economies in the world. China is already world's second largest economy accompanied by military power and increased international clout. India, too, is growing despite its numerous internal problems and constraints. The growth in Asia is in sharp contrast to the economic situation in the western cou...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Internal imbroglio in the political parties has taken an ugly turn, pushing the agenda of peace and constitution writing to the back seat. The peace process has hit a snag, not because of the differences among the parties but because of internal wrangling within the parties. All the major parties at present are occupied in factional fighting, driven by the lust for party power and state power, which has a serious impact on the country’s ongoing political process. If we look closely at the unfolding developments in the parties, it becomes clear that the political parties are not serious and sincere to the promises made to the people. As a result, public trust on the parties and leaders has waned, bringing uncertainty to the peace process. Each and every political party is in a mess. Factional fighting has intensified so bitterly that leaders and workers of one faction are not even on talking terms with those from the rival camps let alone working together. The bigger th...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Not even a week had passed since new Chinese Ambassador Yang Houlan had presented his credentials to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav in Kathmandu, New Delhi announced the name of a new Ambassador to Nepal to replace its unpopular envoy—Rakesh Sood. Jayanta Prasad, a career diplomat who has already served more than two and half decade in the Indian ministry of external affairs, is India's new ambassador to Nepal. Although Prasad 's fundamental duty will be to serve Indian interest in Nepal and pursue the policy and agenda of his own country, he will have to work hard to rebuild India's badly bruised image in the mind of Nepalese people. The new Indian ambassador, if wants to build more cooperative partnership with Nepal and create India's better image in Nepal, will have to work extra time to firstly clean up the heap of diplomatic mess his predecessor Rakesh Sood had created and secondly pursue different approach so that the susceptibility of Nepalese peop...

Yuba Nath Lamsal When politics goes haywire, people are the ultimate victims. Politics occupies a dominant place everywhere in the world. This is more so in the developing and least developed countries where the process of nation building is underway. Even in the developed western democracies, politics continues to dominate the other sectors although the economy is said to dictate politics. In a developing country like ours, everything revolves around politics. Given our own experience and also in some other developing countries, including our neighbours, politics is guided, motivated and dictated by power. The general rule of politics is and should be to serve the people, and politics should be guided, motivated and dictated by the interests and welfare of the people Power - the driving force Unfortunately, this does not happen in Nepal as the politicians, parties and leaders run after power and position rather than the interest of the people and the country. This is the stark reality...

Yuba Nath Lamsal The policy of the United States on Nepal’s Maoists still seems to be shaped by the perceptions of the Cold War despite the sea change in Nepal’s political landscape over the last five years. The Maoists have not only given up the armed insurgency and joined peaceful politics, but they have also proved their supremacy in competitive politics. The U.S. as the champion of liberal democracy uses certain yardsticks in measuring the degree of democracy and freedom. One such yardstick is free and fair elections. In the Constituent Assembly election held three-and-a-half years ago, the Maoists won over 50 per cent of the seats in the first-past-the post system, and emerged as the largest force in the proportionate system. Signs of thaw The recent days have seen some signs of thaw in the fallacy and mistrust between the Maoists and the United States. The increased engagement between the U.S. and the Maoists is definitely a step towards building mutual trust. The interactions, m...