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The Rediff Special/ Ramesh Menon

As Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, 76, packs his bags to visit India after nine long years, he has already figured out that it is not going to be an easy visit.

Suddenly, the air in Kathmandu has been electrified with the Opposition saying that this visit has to break new ground and that Koirala has to iron out vexed issues. The Opposition is not losing any chance to corner and embarrass Koirala as he visits India. It has raked up various contentious issues that both countries would rather avoid as far as taking a stance is concerned. At least for the moment.

Opposition leaders have been harping that Koirala should not sign any new agreement that is not in Nepal's interest. India has always been a favourite punching bag for the opposition to embarrass the government in power. It really does not matter which party is in the Opposition or in power. Nepal's Leftwing politician and foreign policy expert H L Shrestha says vexed issues like the withdrawal of Indian paramilitary forces from disputed areas like Kalapani must get top priority.

Relations between India and Nepal have been sticky for a long time now. It plummeted when Kashmiri militants hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 in December 1999 from Kathmandu to Kandahar. India retaliated by halting its daily Indian Airlines flights to Kathmandu. Nepal, which relies heavily on Indian tourists, felt it was being arm twisted by India.

Nepalese sentiment was hurt. There was an anti-India wave across the nation. Nepal also over-reacted thinking India was playing the big bully in the region. Then there was the issue of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence using Nepal as a base for its anti-India activities. This further plagued relations.

But now, efforts are on with both sides trying to repair the damage.

Thorny Issues

On this visit, some thorny issues are bound to emerge. A major one will be how the ISI is using Nepal as a haven. It is one of India's major security concerns today. India has piled enough evidence of how Pakistan is exploiting the open border the two countries share. A ministry of external affairs official said Nepal had finally figured out it could damage its own self if it allowed terrorist activities to flourish. Indian officials now believe Nepal will co-operate as far as security issues are concerned.

Indian bureaucrats were, in the last few months, preparing the groundwork for this visit. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh and Home Secretary Kamal Pande visited Kathmandu to make Nepal realise that it was part of a dangerous game. Demarcation of the border is bound to be discussed as the porous border has become ideal for terrorist infiltration, smuggling and other illegal activities.

Another major issue will be the sharing of hydro power. The only thing Nepal can sell India is power. Multinational power companies are watching Koirala's visit with interest as they are eyeing opportunities to set up plants in Nepal. The potential is huge; around 83,000 megawatts as major rivers that originate in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal can provide a cheap and environmentally friendly answer.

Koirala will have to tread carefully. He does not want to be seen soft-pedalling Indian interests as that would give the Opposition much needed fodder. As it is, there is a growing following for Baburam Bhattarai, who leads the extremist Nepal Communist Party (Maovadi), a Maoist outfit that is increasing its influence with its anti-India song. Their main line of argument has been that Nepal be declared a republic as corrupt politicians had constantly let the country down and were only working in India's interests. Koirala has to take them seriously as their influence is growing in four districts and are sowing seeds to grow in 13 others.

Koirala will not be able to ignore the Kalapani issue where 70 square kilometres of land in the Darchula area is under dispute. Nepal has for years claimed the land. China has tacitly backed the claim. Kalapani has had posts of Uttar Pradesh police posted there since 1950 with the Nepalese having free access to it. But after 1961, the area was declared a restricted area for the Nepalese.

Today, the Indo-Tibetan Border Force man the area. It is actually a patch of land which will serve no great purpose for both countries. But with Nepal staking its claim to the land, it is bound to become a contentious issue. The Opposition has reminded Koirala that he had said after the SAARC summit in Colombo in 1998 that he would not set foot in India till Kalapani was given to Nepal. Points out S D Muni of the South and East Asian Studies Department at Jawaharlal Nehru University: "It all depends which side of the border you are on and how you choose to perceive it. Issues like this border dispute can be ironed out by a joint commission that can look at history and give a verdict."

Bound to come up is another emotive issue in Nepal: Flooding of some villages and farmland after the Laxmanpur barrage was built on the Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh. There are also some other areas in southern Nepal which are getting flooded as mud banks have been built on rivers in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

For many years, Nepal has been harping on the economic losses it has to stomach because of refugees from Bhutan. There are about 110,000 refugees from Bhutan in Nepal's Jhapa district. As they enter Nepal from India, the argument is that India must use its good offices with Bhutan to beat out a solution.

Arjun Narsingha K C, chairman of the international department of the Nepali Congress, told rediff.com that Koirala's visit will initiate moves to find solutions to problems like refugees, technology transfer and economic co-operation. He said the Nepali Congress saw the visit as an opportunity to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence once again.

When the then Indian prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral visited Kathmandu in 1997, it was decided that foreign secretaries of both countries would sit down and discuss the review of the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty. They were to prepare a report on it, but three years down the line, it has still not happened. Points out Muni, an avid Nepal watcher: "Agreements signed earlier by both countries have not been implemented. There is no point in just complaining. There has to be a political will to resolve issues."

Koirala is bound to press for a review of the five-decade old treaty. Nepal's Ambassador to India Bhekh B Thapa told rediff.com that so much had changed with globalisation and in view of the rapid changes, the treaty must be reviewed. Also on the cards is a demand for scientific delineation of the border, implementation of the trade and transit agreements and exploitation of water resources.

Business circles in Nepal are piqued over the four per cent special additional duty that India has slapped on goods coming into India. This, they argue, have made them lose out to competition. Thapa says the question of additional duty does not arise as there is a trade treaty with India and it must be followed in its true spirit. Points out Muni: "Nepal wants duty free trade with India. They are also finding the new guidelines of the Indian health ministry on food testing difficult to comply with, as there are no testing facilities on the border. They want some practical solution to be worked out."

Though Koirala wants to play down his visit back home, this trip has the potential of achieving what both countries did not in the last 50 years. It is also India's chance to once again build bridges with the tiny Himalayan kingdom. Nepal could well turn out to be its friendliest neighbour.

Design: Lynette Menezes

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