Humiliated by India's unyielding stand on resuming Indian Airlines flights to Kathmandu, Nepalese Prime Minister G P Koirala has cancelled his first visit to India.
He was to come to New Delhi on May 5 and had hoped to announce the resumption of Indian Airlines flights to Kathmandu. But now, Nepalese foreign minister Chakra Bastola will come to New Delhi on an official visit on May 7 instead.
The Nepalese establishment had hoped that India would not insist on ladderpoint security, one of the conditions laid down after the Tribhuvan Airport hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft. Nepal had pointed out that the hijacking was a lapse, but an unintentional one. In Kathmandu, officials had said if India could provide evidence of Nepalese complicity, Nepal would punish the perpetrators of the conspiracy. In the absence of this information, India was welcome to put in place such measures as were necessary for the safety of its citizens and aircraft. But this had to be in consonance with Nepalese perceptions of security.
Several rounds of talks with the Indian ministry of civil aviation followed. Teams went to inspect security at the Tribhuvan Airport. The ministry of civil aviation had almost given its go-ahead for resumption of flights, when India began raising the issue of ladderpoint security.
This means that passengers travelling Indian Airlines will be frisked twice, once at the airport and once before enplaning. Sri Lankan Airways El Al and several others have this security system in place.
On the face it seems blameless. But the Nepalese Opposition is dead against this because this is seen as yet another way of India ordering the security parameters of a sovereign nation.
For all Nepalese Prime Ministers, the first port of call after they're elected is New Delhi. The cancellation of Koirala's trip underscores the depth of the bilateral problems between India and Nepal after the hijacking.
