Dear Sir,
I would like to express my sincere thanks to India and the European Union (EU) for pledging their continued support to my country, Nepal, in its reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquakes in 2015, including “capacity-building and long-term development”, as stated in their joint statement after their 13th summit, held in Brussels recently.
However, I regret to note that in their statement, India and the EU also made a comment about Nepal’s Constitution, citing “the need for a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement” that will address the remaining issues in a time-bound manner. This remark is, I think, totally uncalled for and an unnecessary interference in Nepal’s internal affairs.
It is offensive to speak about third countries’ internal issues in bilateral talks of others. Doing so violates the spirit of the UN Charter and international laws.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in India has imposed an undeclared blockade on Nepal, expressing its unhappiness against its promulgated Constitution. India and the EU are internationalising this issue by remarking on it in their joint statement.
One has to understand that Nepal’s Constitution has been promulgated through a democratically-elected Constituent Assembly and it has fully accommodated its peoples’ aspirations. The Constitution was endorsed by 90% of Nepal’s lawmakers. There may be a few concerns as no Constitution can’t be 100% perfect but the Nepalese government is trying to address them.
Nepal may be smaller and economically weaker than many countries in the world, yet its sovereignty and self-determination are not minor matters for its people. The Nepal government and its people are fully capable of resolving all issues within the framework of their Constitution. If the Indian prime minister is sincere in resolving all on-going issues, he may directly talk to the authorities concerned in Nepal, which we will always welcome, instead of talking about them in Brussels.
Ramesh Dhakal, [email protected]
West Indies regain glory
Dear Sir,
The striking victory of the West Indies cricket team against England in the recent T20 World Cup final reminds us of the past era of Windies greats like Clive Lloyd. Despite the early loss of a key player like Chris Gayle (he was dismissed for four by England in the second over of the final), the West Indies team’s other players worked hard to win their second World T20 title.
West Indies ruled over cricket grounds for almost 25 years. No-one can forget the fast bowling of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner, the spin magic of Lawrence Gibbs and the super batting of Vivian Richards and Brian Lara.
After the retirement of some key players, the West Indies team started to decline and for the last several years it had not been able to win any major competition. After a gap of 35 years, the West Indies team has now regained its past glory. Good job, Windies!
Khawaja Umer Farooq, [email protected]
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