Nepal refuses to join first military drill of BIMSTEC in Pune
10th September, 2018Category: International
Nepal’s Communist Party-led government has refused to participate in the first ever joint military exercise among the armies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) nations that will be hosted by India in Pune from September 10-16. The decision was taken just a day before the Army squad was set to travel to Pune, where the drill will commence on Monday. Now Nepal will be represented by a three-member observer team. Apart from Nepal, Thailand will also not be participating in the military exercise and will be represented by observers.
The decision of Nepal comes just days after Nepal signed a transit pact with China which will give Nepal access the Chinese seaports. However, with China’s nearest seaport being over 3,000 kilometres from Nepal’s border and across the Tibetan plateau, this alternative is likely to remain limited to papers for the foreseeable future.
The proposal for the joint military drill was first forwarded by the Indian Army in June, followed by an initial meeting of Bimstec senior army officials in New Delhi. The proposal for the drill came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had travelled to Nepal last week to take part in the 4th BIMSTEC summit. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
Read More: The Hindu, India Today