Nepal Attempts to Coerce India to Accept EPG Report: A Dispute over the 1950 Treaty

In a recent development, Nepal's ruling party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal, has issued a statement through its Deputy Leader, Pampa Bhushal. The statement asserts that if the Government of India does not accept or show interest in receiving the EPG (Eminent Persons' Group) Report, the Nepal government will be forced to take the initiative to make it public. This statement was made in response to a recent article published in the Indian Express regarding the India-Nepal dispute over the EPG Report.

The EPG Report in question is a document that was commissioned in January 2016 by the then-Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli. A panel known as the EPG Panel, or the Eminent Persons' Group Panel, was formed with a total of eight members, four from each country. The panel's mandate was to prepare a new report suggesting possible changes and modifications to the 1950 Treaty between India and Nepal.

The report was completed in 2018, but it has not been made public by either government. The agreement was that both reports would be submitted to both Prime Ministers, and after review, they would jointly make the report public. However, this has not happened yet. There have been allegations that some segments of the report were leaked, revealing recommendations such as replacing the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty with a new one and regulating the India-Nepal border. However, no official document related to this report has been presented.

Nepal has been pushing for this report to be made public for a long time. In August 2023, an event was organized in Lalitpur, Nepal, by the Bay Tanka Prasad Smriti Pratishthan. Many experts and politicians attended the event and called for the EPG Report to be made public as soon as possible. Some even suggested that if India does not make it public, Nepal should present it in its parliament and forcefully make it public.

The former Deputy Minister and Foreign Minister of Nepal, Kamal Thapa, was also present at the event. He stated that if the Government of India does not receive the report prepared by the Joint Panel, the Government of Nepal should receive it. He also mentioned that this report was prepared as a proper practice model, not as an academic exercise, and that India, as an emerging regional and global power, should be accountable.

These statements were made in August 2023, and now in April 2024, Pampa Bhushal, the Deputy Leader of Nepal's ruling party, has repeated the same sentiment. She stated that if the Government of India does not show interest in receiving the report, the Nepal government should take this particular initiative. She also mentioned in her statement that if the report is made public, it could help regularize the open and porous border between India and Nepal, which could be beneficial for Nepal.

Nepal has often used blackmailing tactics in this matter, threatening that if the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, does not accept it, they have many ways to make this report public. The biggest question, however, is why Nepal is demanding the public release of this report so strongly.

The answer lies in Nepal's dissatisfaction with the 1950 Friendship Treaty between Nepal and India. Nepal has often felt that India interferes in its internal affairs and raises questions about Nepal's relations with China. Nepal also believes that India misuses the open and porous border for human trafficking, drug trafficking, and currency trafficking. Furthermore, Nepal feels that India does not offer reciprocal benefits, despite Nepal's efforts to accommodate India's interests.

However, India has not taken a clear stance on this matter. India's Foreign Secretary stated in 2022 that the EPG Report would be reviewed after it was submitted, indicating that India has not yet accepted the report. India seems to be hesitant due to the political instability in Nepal, as well as concerns about China's influence over Nepal's former Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli.

In conclusion, Nepal's attempts to coerce India into accepting the EPG Report are not appropriate tactics. Organizing events to blackmail India and force the Foreign Ministry to accept the report are objectionable methods. India will not accept this report through such means, and Nepal's political instability and inconsistent ideological thinking need to be aligned first.