Book on Nepal’s water resources and India launched in Kathmandu

Kathmandu: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday said that all issues between India and Nepal can be resolved if the governments of two countries discuss issues with open heart, tolerance and judicious mind.

Prime Minister was launching a book entitled International Watercourses Law: A Perspective on Nepal-India Cooperation written by Surya Nath Upadhyay, former chief commissioner of Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), with a long experience of working in Ministry of Law as senior officer. Upadhyay was also a member of the team that negotiated Mahakali Treaty with India in the 1990s.

Oli appreciated Upadhyay for the hard work and said that the book reflects Upadhyay’s patriotism. The book advocates fair and judicious nationalism, the one that advocates for justice and equity between nations rather than the dominance of a powerful country over weaker ones, PM Oli said. “Upadhyay stands for this nationalism.”

On the occasion, PM also expressed the hope that his Indian counterpart will set aside time to accept the EPG report.

Eminent Persons Group (EPG), with members from India and Nepal, was constituted in 2016 when KP Oli was the prime minister in Nepal. EPG finalized its report in July 2018 but it lies locked in Singha Durbar because, apparently, the Indian government has refused to accept it. The EPG members were to hand over the report to their respective PMs at the same time as per the Terms of Reference (ToR). Experts claim EPG report has recommendations to address all outstanding issues between the two countries.

“Let’s hope for progress this time. I am the PM again in Nepal and he [Narendra Modi] has also been reelected India’s Prime Minister,” Oli said.

Scholar Bipin Adhikari, commenting on the book, said the book has been written by keeping the interests of Nepal and Nepalis at the center. “Water resources should not be used as a geopolitical tool,” he said, while also urging the Nepali leadership to keep Nepal’s interests above all else during negotiations with foreign countries.