Kathmandu: Stakeholders from different sectors have demanded that Nepal’s foreign policy should mainstream borderland issues into it. Speaking at a program organized by Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy (CESIF) in Kathmandu on Tuesday, researchers presented various issues facing the people living in the borderland areas of Nepal.
Presenting on the topic “Changing Dynamics of Nepal-China Tatopani Border” Anish Tiwari, a journalist based in Sindhupalchowk, spoke about bustling trade on the Chinese side and a lull on the Nepali side of the border. China has tightened border crossing for Nepali goods and people and instead uses it largely to export Chinese goods to Nepal, he said.
The plight of Olangchunggola’s residents was poignantly addressed in the presentation titled “Changing Cross-border Ties Among Borderland Residents at Olangchuggola, Taplejung” by Ananda Gautam. The cross-border marital ties have significantly declined in recent years due to the irregular border, lack of basic services and infrastructures such as communication and health, and difficulties in obtaining Nepali citizenship.
In his speech, Madhav Sapkota, a Member of the House of Representatives, shared that he spent more than half his time as an MP advocating for the full reopening of the Tatopani border and facilitating the cross-border movement of goods and people. “For the last few months, China appears to have realized that the Tatopani border is better for trade than Kerung,” he said. “After the highway leading up to the border point is repaired to avoid occasional flood and landslides, the true potential of this border point will be realized.”
Parwat Portel discussed the strategic importance and developmental potential of the border connecting Nepal with India and Bangladesh. Portel underscored growing economic activities around the border and stressed the need for Nepal to exploit the region’s economic opportunities through trade with India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.
Ranadhir Chaudhary spoke on the topic “Prospect of Nepal-India Cultural Connectivity: A Case of Janakpurdham.” Chaudary discussed Janakpurdham’s and Janaki Temple’s role as a vital cultural link between Nepal and India. Highlighting the cross-border religious, cultural, and economic ties, as well as important infrastructure connectivity projects such as the India-Nepal railway, Chaudhary stressed the need to promote the “Ramayana Circuit,” which has the potential to boost Janakpur’s transportation, hotel, tourism, and other service sectors. “Janaki Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Janakpur regularly host dozens of Indian medical students, a less-known fact about the India-Nepal border dynamics,” Chaudhary noted.
Manoj Badu presented on the topic “Implications of India-China Geopolitics in Darchula.” He emphasized how the residents of Darchula are caught in the crossfire of geopolitical tensions between India and China due to the strategically important tri-juncture in Darchula. Both India and China have a heavy security presence along the border, with India having an SSB outpost every 3 km from Darchula’s Lali to Vyas Rural Municipality’s Chhangru, and China having thousands of security forces along the border, noted Badu. Nepal’s security presence along the border is almost nil compared to India’s and China’s, he said.
Raj Kishor Yadav, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ International Relations and Tourism Committee, pointed out at a “fear psychosis” among Nepali representatives, as they are “immediately termed anti-national, pro-India, or Indian agents” even when they raise genuine issues. As a result, the India-Nepal bilateral relation is often state-centric, viewed from the lens of Kathmandu and Delhi, where borderland concerns are overlooked. Liladevi Boikhim Limbu, Member of the House of Representatives, noted that “although the border points are technically open, cross-border movement and trade are still not fully operational” at a level Nepal and Tibet have traditionally enjoyed; we can only restore it with a concrete effort of all stakeholders, state mechanisms, and policymakers.
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