Nepal’s defense minister said on tension with India – Army will fight if needed

India’s Army Chief MM Narwane had said in a statement on 15 May that Nepal was protesting against someone else at the behest of Kalapani. The army chief was pointing towards China. Now Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ishwar Pokharel has reacted to this statement. The Nepali Defense Minister has said that the statement of the Indian Army Chief has hurt the sentiments of the Nepalese Gurkhas who have been sacrificing for India for a long time.

In an interview to ‘The Rising Nepal’ news outlet, the Defense Minister of Nepal said that it is condemnable for General Manoj Narwane to point towards China in a diplomatic dispute. He said that if needed, the Nepalese army would also fight.

Pokharel said, this statement of the army chief has also hurt the sentiments of Nepalese Gurkhas who have given their lives for the safety of India. It will also be difficult for him (Indian Army Chief) to raise his head high in front of the Gorkha force. He called the statement of the Indian Army Chief a political stunt and said that such a statement is not expected from the Army Chief.

The Nepalese Gurkhas have been in the Indian security forces since before independence and they have always been kept away from the Indo-Nepal dispute. There are about 40 battalions of Gurkhas in the Indian Army, in which Nepal soldiers are in large numbers. However, this is the first time Nepal’s Defense Minister has also dragged the Gorkha community into the Indo-Nepal dispute.

On 8 May, India inaugurated the road in Darchula-Lipulekh, on which Nepal had lodged a protest. Nepal has been presenting its claim on these areas. A few days later, Army Chief Narwane gave a statement that the link road is in Indian territory, so Nepal has no reason to protest. He said that there are many arguments on the basis of which it can be assumed that he may have raised the issue at the behest of someone else and this is a big possibility.

However, the Nepal Army has maintained silence on this issue. Nepal’s army spokesman General Vigyan Dev Pandey refused to react to Narwane’s statement and said he did not want to get involved in any political field. On Monday also, Nepal’s army spokesman maintained the same old position and said that he is not authorized to comment on the opinion of the Defense Minister.

Pokharel said that his army will take action according to the needs of Kathmandu. He said, the army will play its role as per our constitution and government guidelines when the right time comes… If the need arises, we will fight. He also said that Nepal believes that the solution of the Kalapani issue should be found through diplomatic negotiations.

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Pokharel’s remarks come at a time when Nepal has started working on an agreement with China in October. Under this agreement, Nepal will be allowed to bring goods from the city of Tibet. Nepal will now get the supply of goods from China within nine days by rail-road transport service. Since the unannounced economic blockade on the Indo-Nepal border in 2015, there has been a surge of anti-India sentiments. Since 2015, demand has increased in Nepal to reduce its dependence on India. The agreement with China is also part of this strategy.