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The Post Sept. 11 Shocks

Nepal is still struggling to cope with the political and economic impact of the terrorist attacks in the US

-Binay Dhital

Thousands of Nepalese could see the unbelievable scene of two passenger jets hitting the twin towers in the New York thousands of miles away in real time on September 11, 2001. The horror and tragedy that the incident sparked would be a lifelong memory for those who were glued to their TV sets on the fateful evening (the local time). Besides their worries for the safety of their beloved ones in the US, they had little idea that the terror incident in the ‘Big Apple’ and Washington D. C. would also affect their daily lives one-way or the other. “If the world’s only superpower can’t protect itself from terrorist attacks, how could a poor and developing country like Nepal protect her national interests,” said Ramesh Shrestha, a university student. “In any case, we must join hands in the global campaign against terrorism.”

One of the first sectors receiving the jolts of September 11 attacks was the Nepalese tourism industry. Industry sources estimated that up to 40 percent of the bookings in the hotels had been cancelled after the terrorist attacks in the USA. “Initial estimates put the losses likely to be incurred by the hoteliers at around Rs. 300 million,” said Narendra Bajracharya, President of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).

From tourism to readymade garments, from handicrafts to foreign direct investment every thing has been affected in the aftermath of the disturbances in the biggest economy in the world. “Even the foreign aid to Nepal might decline,” said Dr. Govinda Bahadur Thapa, an economist at the Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank in the country.

Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said that the days ahead for the Nepalese economy was anything but smooth. “ The government is assessing latest developments within the country and abroad and will take measures, as necessary, to deal with the situation,” he said. Not only the country’s economy, domestic politics, too, got affected after the September 11. The Nepalese government and all major political parties condemned terrorist attacks on the US. The Sher Bahadur Deuba led-government offered every possible cooperation, including providing refuelling facilities and using Nepalese air space, to the US warplanes, if the need be. Though leftist opposition protested the government’s decision, there was no major protests of the US’ retaliatory attacks on Afghanistan in its bid to hunt down Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in the US bombings.

The more visible impact could be seen in the government-Maoist peace talks to end the six-year-old Maoist insurgency. As the government was buoyed from global opinion against terrorism, the Maoist insurgents found that they could no more enjoy the safe haven—that is India. Nepalese authorities claim that the Maoists here are getting training and supplies from Maoist outfits like People’s War Group and Maoist Coordination Center in India. They have also been procuring cheap arms and explosives mainly from India, reports said.

“Nepalese Maoists are terrorists. We don’t support such activities,” said Indian Foreign and Defense Minister Jaswant Singh, in a televised interview in New Delhi, before ordering deployment of over 10,000 elite Indian soldiers along the Nepal-India border to check “cross-border terrorism,” among others. The announcement came as a big respite to the Nepalese government that had been urging the Indian government not to provide safe haven to the Nepalese Maoists in their hideouts across the border.

Maoists, too, were watching the situation carefully. “The government should not try to exploit international developments to put pressure upon us,” said Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the chief Maoist negotiator. “The Nepalese rulers should not celebrate such incidents as (the attacks on)Pentagon and the World Trade Centers could also repeat in the Nepalese capital,” he warned.

Despite such statements, which analysts say did more harm to the Maoists than good, the Maoist leadership chose to unilaterally withdraw from the peace talks and resume offensive against the government forces. While the factor behind such a decision of the underground party remains unknown, many believe that the decision to attack army camps in Dang and Solukhumbu may have been taken by the Maoist leadership under pressure from its militant cadres.

With the government declaring a state of emergency, terming the Maoists as terrorists and mobilizing army against them, the probability of a negotiated settlement look remote, at least for now. The government, which was on a defensive in the wake of the massive rebel attacks upon isolated police posts in remote hilly areas of the country, suddenly found itself in a position of strength. Even the Nepalese people in rural areas started voluntary protests against the atrocities by the Maoists.

Maoist leadership is still trying to put a brave face. “We are not terrorists but a disciplined force that believes in a scientific philosophy,” Dinanath Sharma, a politburo member of the Maoists, told BBC. “We are at war and it will continue till the government agrees to our demand for a constituent assembly.”

On the eve of the third round of talks in November, pro-Maoist newspapers reported that the Maoists had decided to drop their demand for making Nepal—a Hindu kingdom with constitutional monarchy— a republic state. They, however, continued to raise the demands for an interim government and elections for a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution by repealing the country’s present democratic constitution.

As the Nepal’s ‘war against terror’ continues, Nepalese people are worried about the likely fallout of the Afghan war. Growing obstructions in international trade and travel, possibility of ‘oil crisis’ if the conflict further intensifies and expands and sense of insecurity are some of the imminent worries for the Nepalese. But thanks to their centuries-old tradition of accommodation, respect to other religions and even fatalism, they will not give up their way of life come what may.

One of the astounding examples of tolerance and accommodation could be seen in the Kathmandu streets when thousands of Nepalese Muslims continue to join Friday prayers in a peaceful way and there are no signs of provocation from their Hindu neighbours, who are in overwhelming majority. The matured behaviour of the Nepali Muslims, too, is responsible for such an environment of amity.

To express their condolence to the victims of terrorism in the United States, Nepal Jam-e’ Masjid, a leading mosque in Nepal, offered special prayers. Although Muslims represent less than 6 percent of the country’s population they have always maintained close and harmonious relationship with people belonging to other religions since they first arrived in Nepal more than 300 years ago. “We Muslims in Nepal were profoundly shocked by the incidents in the US,” said Niyaz Ahmed, principal of Madarsa Islamiya School run by the Jam-e Masjid. “No one can support terrorist acts committed by a handful people in the name of religion.”

As people like Ahmed reject any type of fanaticism in the name of religion, Nepal can hope to live in peace in the days to come. But given the widespread poverty, widening gap in the standard of living between the rich and poor people and rising number of educated unemployment, the Nepalese government will have to formulate long term policies – and implement them with the support of its development partners overseas—to ensure that the fruits of democracy reach all segments of people and do not leave anybody out. Perhaps, that is the best medicine to treat all kinds of terrorism.

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