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The Maoists’ decision to stay out of polls and the UN mission extending its stay in Nepal are two worries that trouble India

Pranay Sharma Delhi

India may well be looking for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, but it still remains apprehensive about UN officials playing a major role in its backyard. The fresh political turmoil in Nepal after the Maoists withdrew from the interim government is giving South Block officials sleepless nights. The worry is not only over the possible political instability that the Maoist decision might bring about, but it is also about the space it leaves for the UN to play a much wider role than what its mandate now provides.

India has always been worried over situations that bring the UN to its doorstep. Its experience with the UN on Kashmir has been a constant reminder to successive leaderships in New Delhi to keep it as far as possible from knotty-problems in South Asia. Developments in Nepal over the past few years allowing the UN to step in have been no exception. Despite its initial reluctance, New Delhi decided to go along with the popular view within and outside Nepal to get the UN to help in stabilising it.

Early this year, the UN Security Council decided to set up the UN Political Mission in Nepal. The body, popularly known by its acronym, UNMIN, has the mandate to monitor the ceasefire agreement reached between the Maoists and the political parties in Nepal and to ensure that peace remains till elections for a constituent assembly is held. What is of significance to India is that the UNMIN's mandate is only for a year.

If elections are held as per schedule - November 22, 2007, there might be little reason why the UN Political Mission office in Kathmandu should not be wound up by the year-end. But the Maoists' decision to withdraw from the interim government has raised doubts not only whether elections would be held on time but also on the timely departure of the UN special team from Nepal.

India fears that UNMIN has been broadening its mandate by looking at areas that it was not supposed to be concerned about. The Indian displeasure has been brought to the notice of the UN Secretary General's office in New York -- not as a protest, but to apprise the secretary general of the 'negative impact' the UNMIN's attempt might have on Nepal and the neighbouring region. New Delhi might have its own ideas about the UNIMIN's role, but the ambiguity about what it should do lies in the text of the resolution that the UN Security Council passed in January this year when it took the decision of setting up the Political Mission in Nepal.

 "Recognising the strong desire of the people of Nepal for peace and restoration of democracy and noting the request of the Nepalese government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) for UN's assistance in implementing the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Security Council today established a United Nations Political Mission in Nepal for one year, with a mandate to monitor the ceasefire and assist in the election of a constituent assembly," resolution 1740 says. To complicate matters further, it says, "Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1740, the Council also tasked the new Mission with monitoring the management of arms and armed personnel of both sides through a Joint Monitoring Coordinating Committee."