China holds first Foreign Ministers meeting with Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan on Covid-19: BRI

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday, July 27 held the first joint virtual conference with his counterparts from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal during which he mooted a four-point plan to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, boost economic recovery and resumption of the BRI infrastructure projects.

Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali attended the virtual meeting, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry press release.

Read More ... China holds first Foreign Ministers meeting with Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan on Covid-19: BRI

Nepal urges India to take steps against broadcast of anti-Nepal materials

Nepal urges India to take steps against broadcast of anti-Nepal materials

Kathmandu: Nepal has sent a ‘diplomatic note’ to India, urging New Delhi to take steps against the broadcast of materials what it called “fake, baseless and insensitive as well as abusive” to the country and its leadership by a section of the Indian media, a source said on Sunday.

The move came days after Nepal on Thursday stopped the transmission of all Indian private news channels except Doordarshan, accusing them of airing reports hurting the country’s national sentiment.

There was no immediate reaction from India on the issue. In the diplomatic note to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) via the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the materials disseminated by a section of the Indian media are “fake, baseless and insensitive as well as abusive to Nepal and Nepali leadership”, according to an aide of the Nepal Prime Minister.

“Such materials are not only misleading and misinforming but also impair the sense of minimum public decency,” the ministry said in the note.

The ill-intentioned “smearing campaign unleashed by a section of Indian media has deeply hurt the feelings of Nepali people and persona of Nepali leadership,” read the note.

It requested the Indian authorities to take measures against these obscene materials on Nepal by a section of the Indian media and make sure that such materials do not find space in the media.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists and Press Council Nepal also condemned some reports of a section of the Indian media.

The India-Nepal bilateral ties came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.

Later, Nepal updated the country’s political map through a Constitutional amendment, incorporating three strategically important Indian areas.

India termed as “untenable” the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal. India has handed over a diplomatic note to Nepal over the map issue, Nepalese media reports said.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, under pressure to resign amidst a rift in the ruling Nepal Communist Party over his style of functioning, has alleged that some of the ruling party leaders are aligning with the southern neighbor to remove him from power after his government issued a new political map incorporating three Indian territories.

His allegations have been criticized by senior NCP leaders, including former prime minister ‘Prachanda’, who demanded Prime Minister Oli’s resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were “neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate.”

Nepal’s communist party seems headed for split; Oli, Prachanda talks fail to yield positive outcome

Nepal’s communist party seems headed for split; Oli, Prachanda talks fail to yield positive outcome

Kathmandu: Nepal’s ruling communist party has failed to address the intra-party rifts as Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and NCP executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ have failed to reach a consensus despite holding over half-a-dozen meetings in a week, a media report said on Thursday, July 9.

On Wednesday, a crucial meeting of the NCP’s 45-member Standing Committee was postponed till Friday. The meeting was deferred for the fourth consecutive time in a bid to provide enough time for the two chairmen of the party to sort out their differences amidst the heightened intra-party rift.

The political future of 68-year-old Oil is expected to be decided on Friday during the Standing Committee meeting, amidst the growing involvement of Hou Yanqui, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, to save his chair.

The Prachanda faction, backed by senior leaders and former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, has been demanding Oli’s resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were “neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate.”

The differences between the two factions of the Nepal Communist Party – one led by Oli and the other by ‘Prachanda’ on the issue of power-sharing has recently intensified after the prime minister unilaterally decided to prorogue the budget session of Parliament and over to the government’s lackluster response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his unilateral actions, bypassing the party.

Oli and Prachanda have held a series of meetings to iron out their differences, but both the factions appeared to have gone back to locking horns, The Kathmandu Post reported.

There were sporadic demonstrations across the country on Wednesday in support of Oli, despite an agreement with Prachanda not to direct any street protests.

According to a Standing Committee member, the protests in Oli’s support have not made things any better.

In Kathmandu alone, at least seven sporadic demonstrations took place on Wednesday, followed by others in different parts of the country, including Saptari where the Oli rally was confronted by a Dahal rally.

“Oli’s supporters are coming out on the streets instead of supporting rapprochement inside the party. We are firm in the belief that the party should not split as it would be a betrayal of the people’s mandate,” NCP spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said.

According to party insiders, this indicates the failure of dialogue between the two warring party chairs.

Despite holding close to six one-on-one meetings in a week, Oli and Prachanda have failed to make any headway, the Post quoted party leaders as saying.

On Wednesday evening too, they held a two-hour-long one-on-one meeting at the Prime Minister’s Residence but failed to reach any consensus, according to Bishnu Sapkota, Prachanda’s press coordinator.

“The leaders have not narrowed down their differences yet. They will meet again,” he said.
“Both are adamant over their respective positions so no headway has been made yet,” Shrestha told the Post.

According to a party member, Oli has been saying he is ready to obey what the party says and will correct his working style, but he will not step down because he became prime minister due to the people’s mandate, and he is also the elected chair of the party.

Prachanda, Madhav Nepal, Khanal and former deputy prime minister Bamdev Gautam are all seeking a bigger role in the party, and by extension, the government.

“There is a deadlock. There is no other option than to find a middle path to stop the party from splitting but we haven’t found that magic formula yet,” said Standing Committee member Raghuji Pant.

China’s ambassador Hou has recently met with the senior leaders of the NCP including Madhav Nepal, Khanal as hectic negotiations for a power-sharing deal were going on between Oli and the dissident group led by Prachanda.

A number of political party leaders have termed the Chinese envoy’s series of meetings with the ruling party leaders as interference in Nepal’s internal political affairs.

There has been turmoil in the NCP for the past few months, but Oli tried to divert the attention of the dissident group by giving a nationalist slogan and updating the Nepal’s political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories – Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura — which served as means to pacify the internal tussle for some time.

However, the turmoil again surfaced since last week, after Oli accused the dissident groups led by Prachanda of hatching a conspiracy to remove him with the help of the southern neighbour.

Nepal will get back land from India through dialogue: PM Oli

Nepal will get back land from India through dialogue: PM Oli

Kathmandu: Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that his government will seek a solution to the Kalapani issue through diplomatic efforts and dialogue on the basis of historical facts and documents.

‘We will get back the land occupied by India through holding a dialogue,’ Oli said while responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday.

He claimed that India built a Kali temple, created ‘an artificial Kali river’ and ‘encroached the Nepalese territory through deploying the Army’ at Kalapani. The river defines the border between the two countries.

Oli’s claim comes in midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any ‘artificial enlargement’ of territorial claims after Kathmandu released a new political map laying claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.

Nepalese officials say that Nepal had control over the area before 1962, when the India-China war took place. At that time India stationed its army seeking permission from then Nepalese rulers for temporary purpose, but it never removed its forces, they claim.

Although there are border issues in other areas such as Susta but the government has given priority to Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as Nepali territories have not been captured by deploying army in other parts of its international border, Oli said in response to a question in Parliament.

Earlier this week, the Nepalese Parliament unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider a constitution amendment bill to pave way for putting the new political map that includes Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in Nepal’s national emblem.

A discussion on the issue started in the Parliament since Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shivamaya Tumbahanfe tabled a bill for the second amendment to the Nepalese Constitution to incorporate the new political map of Nepal on May 31.

Prime Minister Oli said he was happy to learn that the unprecedented unity has been shown both within and outside the Parliament on the issue of national unity and territorial integrity.

‘Our ancestors founded and saved this country through their struggles. We will be able to establish our territorial integrity if we remain firm,’ he said.

Prime Minister Oli also raised objection to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s reported remark that Nepal should not repeat the mistake which Tibet made.

‘If Adityanath spoke about that, it was not appropriate,’ he said.

‘It is not appropriate to threaten Nepal in that way… This should not have been spoken by a chief minister of UP,’ he said. ‘It is a deplorable matter, if he spoke so.’ Oli also complained about India’s unwillingness to receive the joint report prepared by Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) of India and Nepal.

Nepal is ready to receive the report, but it would be meaningless unless both the governments receive it, he said.

‘As per the condition, India should first receive the report but it has not shown any interest to receive the report which was prepared two years ago,’ he claimed.