Donors clamp on King’s arms supply

As reported by The Indian Express, New Delhi had already frozen military aid to the new government. It now turns out this decision was taken even though the Indian defence establishment had wanted the assistance to continue.

The US and Britain, the other two leading donors to Nepal, have also threatened to follow India’s lead as they review their aid to the new dispensation.

This morning, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh spelt out the government’s stand to Nepalese ambassador Karna Dhoj Adhikari in no uncertain terms. He made it clear that India favoured bringing political parties on board as only then would the monarch be able to make some headway on the Maoist problem.

There are indications that Kathmandu has asked for 100 days from the international community to roll back the freeze on political activity. Officially, however, South Block insisted that King Gyanendra’s government had not spelt out any time frame.

Washington, on its part, is reviewing its $12 million military assistance to Kathmandu. Under Section 508 of the Foreign Operations Act, the US can stop weapons and military assistance to countries where a duly-elected head of government is deposed.

The Bush administration can also invoke the so-called democracy sanctions against Kathmandu. Washington is currently consulting its ambassador James Moriarty and trying to work out whether democracy sanctions kick in if a head of government is deposed by a head of state.

London, which had promised defence assistance to the tune of 6.5 million pounds, will also review the military aid. Its developmental aid will continue as this goes to the people of Nepal.

New Delhi, meanwhile, overruled its own defence establishment when it decided to play hardball with Nepal. The Army in particular, wanted the military aid to continue as it feared that China or Pakistan would step in. Pakistan had already made a token gesture in that direction in January when it offered Rs 50 lakh in military assistance to land-locked Nepal.

The UPA government, however, assessed that with the US mounting pressure on the King, there was no question or either China or Pakistan turning Nepal’s military saviour. It figured that Beijing would not want another North Korea on its hands if the Maoists came to power in Nepal.

And with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf already under pressure to demit his job as Army Chief, New Delhi figured that he would want to stay out of the complications in Kathmandu.