Lift unofficial blockade

Members of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) have urged the Indian authorities to immediately lift the unofficial blockade along Indo-Nepal border that halted the supply of goods and services.

They have also appealed to India to be part of Nepal's post-conflict transition and development process as expected of any friendly neighbour.

In a joint statement issued yesterday, as many as 17 rights organisations from South Asia noted that "India has imposed an unofficial blockade along the Indo-Nepal border, halting the supply of goods and services, including essential goods such as cooking gas, petrol, diesel and basic medicines."

They drew the international community's attention to the need for an immediate action, both humanitarian and diplomatic, to ease the crisis faced by the people of Nepal.

"In particular, we appeal to the prime minister of India to take all necessary action to bring this crisis to an immediate end, and ease the suffering of the Nepali people," the statement read.

The 17 organisations are: Ain o Salish Kendra, Madaripur Legal Aid Association, and Odhikar of Bangladesh; Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, Dalit Foundation, People's Watch, Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, and South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring of India; Bytes for All, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, National Commission for Justice and Peace, Potahar Organisation for Development Advocacy, and Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child of Pakistan; Community Self Reliance Centre and Informal Sector Service Centre of Nepal; and INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre (Inform) and Law and Society Trust, of Sri Lanka.

In the statement, they said, "We, the undersigned human rights organisations from South Asia gathered in Kathmandu on November 5, 2015 to participate in South Asian Members' Meeting, welcome the new constitution adopted by Nepal's Constituent Assembly on 20 September 2015.

We, at the same time, express our utmost anguish towards India's response to Nepal and her people after the adoption of the constitution."

"This act of India, which India itself has made reference to indirectly during the recent Nepal's UPR process at the UN Human Rights Council, has added badly to Nepal's suffering from the devastating earthquake and its aftershocks last April and May.”

The human rights bodies mentioned that the blockade of the transport of construction materials and industrial inputs has brought post-earthquake reconstruction to a complete standstill. In essence, the overall situation has brought Nepal to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, the statement added.

Mentioning that the longstanding friendly relationship between the Indian and Nepali people and the coexistence they have maintained over time, the statement said, "We are concerned the blockade by the Indian authorities run the risk of upsetting this relationship as well which may result in damaging consequences that may be difficult to repair.

The rights bodies said the unofficial blockade violated several treaties between India and Nepal as well as UN Convention on Law of the Sea.

The continued delay in lifting the blockade will be only to the detriment of India, the statement further added.

The FORUM-ASIA members said, "At this difficult time, we reiterate our commitment to standby the people of Nepal."

The statement said the member organisations, who gathered in the Kathmandu meeting, had an opportunity to hear about the participatory process that led to the drafting and promulgation of the new constitution.