Describing Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's India visit as successful, some geopolitical affairs experts in Delhi have said that the 'heartfelt' agreement sealed between Dahal and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be institutionalized.
During the four-day visit to India, Dahal and Modi agreed on issues like energy trade, transportation, connectivity, and interstate digital pay on Thursday in New Delhi, and Nepal affairs experts from India concluded that Dahal's visit was more successful than expected.
Nihar Nayak, a researcher at the Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis (IDSA) under the Ministry of Defense of India, said Prime Minister Dahal's visit was more successful than he expected.
Nayak concluded that the visit was a success considering the review of transit agreement between Nepal and India, energy trade agreement, progress in railways, cross-border transmission line construction, hydropower project construction, digital pay, petroleum pipeline to be built with Indian cooperation, fertilizer production in Nepal as an achievement.
SD Muni, an experienced expert on Nepal affairs, claimed that Dahal's visit was a success, saying that the cooperation between the two countries in areas such as connectivity and energy trade is "very good".
Muni said, 'Prachanda was successful in two ways. First, he managed to negotiate with Delhi on important projects that would benefit Nepal. Secondly, he was also able to get Modi's support for the continuation of the ruling coalition in Kathmandu.
Delhi-based economic, geopolitical, and security analyst Navita Srikant said that during Prachanda's visit, there were major commitments and agreements between India and Nepal on the dimensions of connectivity.
"Exporting 10,000 megawatts of electricity to India in a period of 10 years, expanding electricity and petroleum lines are big deals," Srikant told Nepalkhabar in Delhi, "but political stability is necessary in Nepal to maintain this success and momentum."
Srikant says that the leadership of India and Nepal has also advanced the issue of resolving the border dispute and giving more air routes to Nepal.
"Prime Ministers of both the countries showed understanding, respect and sensitivity during the talks", Srikant said, "Prime Minister Modi and Dahal seemed to be speaking their hearts out at the joint press conference, that was a positive indication."
Member from India in Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Professor Mahendra P. Lama said that the agreement to sell 10,000 megawatts of electricity to India in 10 years is a great achievement for Nepal.
Lama, an expert on India-Nepal affairs, classified the agreements reached this time in Delhi into the '3 C's' and analyzed them as follows: Under the first C (Commerce), it has been agreed to review the transit agreement and establish an integrated check post (ICP) in customs for trade facilitation. Under the Second C (Connectivity), projects like cross-border railways and transmission lines have been agreed upon, while under the Third C (Community), there has been an agreement for the benefit of the people of both countries, which includes issues such as interstate digital payments.
"Whatever understandings and agreements have been reached during Prachanda's visit, these have been made within the framework of the 'Three Cs'," Lama said, "These agreements are seen in the interest of Nepal."
Saying that the visit was a success, Professor Lama claimed that Prachanda has now accepted the reality.
"The matter of India buying 10,000 megawatts of electricity in 10 years and India providing a corridor to export Nepal's electricity to Bangladesh is a very big achievement for the interests of Nepal," Lama told Nepalkhabar in Delhi.
Dr. Nayak said that the agreement to advance the Pancheshwar project was reached during Deuba's last visit to India and the work is now underway.
"The agreement to take the Pancheshwar project forward was reached at the time of Deuba's visit, which is currently being worked on," Nayak said, "Modi himself has said that the two countries will work together to find a solution to the border problem."
He further said that issues like EPG report and Agneepath are not the main priority now.
"The issue of allowing more air routes to Nepal is technical, after further study it will also be concluded," Nayak added.
Professor Muni said that even the Nepal government has made its position clear about the EPG report and has not talked to India. But Lama made a new claim that "both countries are not ready to understand the EPG report".
"The boundary dispute of Kalapani is a long-standing problem, it is not easy to solve it immediately without evidence," Muni added.
Professor Lama said that India has clear 'reservations' on any projects built by China in South Asia and the same will be the case in Nepal.
"There would have been no problem if Nepal had understood the policy taken by India in the Chinese projects in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Maldives and cooperated, accordingly," Lama said.
Lama says that Nepal should have understood this policy or intention of India before building an international airport with the involvement of China in Bhairahawa and Pokhara.
"If Nepal had understood this India policy and worked accordingly, there would not have been a problem with air route permission," Lama argued.
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