Delhi gets alert: MEA offers help on bodies

A message from the Nepalese capital early in the day to the Foreign Office here warned senior officials about the snowballing crisis. The message was immediately flashed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was in Amritsar for the day to attend the Golden Temple celebrations.

Soon, states bordering Nepal, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were alerted over the possible impact of the crisis. Nepal and India share an open and very porous border and there is special concern over the alleged infiltration of the Terai by ISI elements.

After a hurriedly called press conference in South Block this afternoon, where External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Minister of State E Ahamed expressed relief at the release of the Indian hostages in Baghdad, Singh also took time to express shock and concern over the killing of the 12 Nepalese citizens barely 24 hours ago.

Singh said he had spoken to Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today to convey the anguish and deep sympathy felt by India.

Extending his condolences to the bereaved families, he said New Delhi had also ‘‘offered to provide any assistance that may be required by Nepal to bring back the bodies of the victims. Appropriate instructions have been issued to our Ambassador in Baghdad,’’ Singh added.

Nepal’s tragedy also seemed to have been compounded by the fact that Kathmandu did not seem to have asked for assistance from the international community, including India, when its citizens were taken hostage in Baghdad.

Considering New Delhi and Kathmandu otherwise maintain almost daily contact and at the highest levels, analysts here expressed concern that neither the Deuba government nor King Gyanendra had thought it fit to formally bring this to the notice of India, especially as they knew New Delhi was involved in backroom negotiations with a cross-section of Iraqis to have its own hostages released.

Deuba is arriving in New Delhi on September 9, where he will again meet the spectrum of the Indian leadership.