KATHMANDU: Border disputes and land encroachment get public attention during election campaigns in Nepal.
Most of the political parties, mainly the communist parties, including CPN-UML, often raise the issue to prove them more patriotic than others.
However, facts reveal that border security and border dispute resolution become the least important agenda for them once they reach power.
History is the witness of the fact that most of the issues related to border are raised for media consumption during the election period. Even if they happen to speak loudly on the issue sometimes, they retain silence once they meet the head of intelligence agencies.
The issue of land encroachment from the Chinese side and the construction of building on the border area of Humla caused a stir in national politics in September 2020.
The news about the Chinese side’s obstruction to the locals trying to use Nepali pasture land in Namkha-6, Lapcha of Humla drew the attention of people all around.
There were also anti-China agitations in Nepal saying that China constructed buildings encroaching Nepal’s land.
This issue was raised by the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC). However, the then government spokesperson Pradip Kumar Gyawali, rather than probing the issue, responded that China had not undermined Nepali territory.
The NC sent a delegation under Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, the leader of the main opposition party in Karnali province assembly and lawmaker from Humla, for on-site inspection to the Limi Valley.
After monitoring the site, which is about 100 kilometers from the district headquarters Simikot, Shahi’s team submitted a report to the party’s central office.
In a statement issued on October 14, 2020, NC spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma accused China of encroaching the border in Humla.
When the news of China’s crossing of Nepal’s border in Namkha reached the country’s capital, the government publicly stated that the border had not been encroached.
The NC said that it would be wrong to comment on such a question in a hurry, so it would be responsible and mature to comment after going through the report of the on-site study.
A study conducted by Shahi’s team for 11 days along the Nepal-China border areas, from Pillar No. 5 to 12, concluded that “the Chinese government has encroached about two kilometers of Nepali land in Namkha area.”
Failure to provide information when two kilometers of land is encroached, 24 hours explanation sought against the assistant Chief District Officer who knew about the encroachment and spoke the truth, Foreign Ministry’s China supporting statement prior to receiving the report from the team led by then Chief District Officer, the transfer of the CDO and Ast. CDO as punishment for speaking the truth all hinted the government officials and the government itself did not dare to speak against the encroachment due to Chinese pressure.
Main opposition NC condemned the government’s irresponsible behavior towards the issue as sad, shameful and objectionable.
Then Humla CDO Chiranjivi Giri and assistant CDO Datta Raj Hamal spoke to the media about the border encroachment and were transferred under Chinese pressure. The then KP Oli-led government sent pro-China administrators to Humla.
The locals complain that the officials deployed at Chinese interest have been silencing the voices against the encroachment.
They say that CDO Ganesh Acharya has been closely monitoring the border activities and speaking against Nepali interest.
The local administration is making attempts to control the activities of journalists, representatives of political parties and social activists to go to the encroached territory.
The local administration has instructed travel agencies and drivers not to take anyone to the disputed area. Drivers say that they have been instructed to leave the passenger on the way making lame excuses like the road is poor or the vehicle is out of order etc.
Sources claim that the local administration has mobilized Chinese agents in various places to prevent anyone seeking information about the border from reaching the destination under any circumstances, obstructing the collection of information on arrival and spreading rumors without confirming the collected information.
Local leaders and activists allege that the police administration has been providing information to the Chinese about the activities taking place in Nepal.
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