Insights from Indo-Nepal trade & security issues in the current political global scenario
Author(s): Jagbir Singh
Abstract: Today most of the historians agree with the fact that Hindu culture in South Asian regions has long been dominated by the two neighboring countries India and Nepal. After getting success in the national freedom movement, India framed her foreign policy of non-alignment with the neighbouring countries; Nepal is one of these countries. India gave priority to Nepal and signed ‘The Treaty of Peace and Friendship’ on July 31, 1950, which paved a pathway of bilateral relations between the two nations. Actually, this treaty has 10 Articles, which is very crucial to strategic partnership and it shall also remain effective till the mutual consent of both the nations. The majority of academicians concurred that this historic decision between the two nations would achieve its goal of strengthening ties between them, especially with regard to the potential for future deeper ties. Conversely, that same year, the two parties also signed ‘The Treaty of Trade and Commerce.’ Meanwhile, a large number of foreign policy analysts predicted that Nepal is a landlocked area, the treaty will not only strengthen trade and economic ties but also streamline customs and tariff rules between the two nations. According to statistical data, Indo-Nepal trade partnership during the years 2022-23 reached at Rs.1134.53 billion; it is 60 percent of Nepal's total exports to India. However, the opening of an Indian military base in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, became a cause of concern between the two countries. Despite this, problems for the South Asian peace process were brought about by Nepal's attempt to find a middle ground in its relations with China in the upcoming years.
In the consequent years, Nepal frequently sided with China on many occasions, which raised security concerns for India and it became a pivotal issue between India and Nepal. Nevertheless, India always took Nepal as priority on various grounds. PM Modi visited Nepal in 2014 and also emerged as the first nation, who provided all possible assistance to Nepal during the occurrence of the earthquake calamity on 25th April, 2015. Likewise, in his second term, on 16th May, 2022, PM Modi again visited Lumbini, Nepal on the occasion of ‘Budh Purnima’. But we can't ignore the fact that global order in world politics is changing rapidly, where Russia and Ukraine have been in a state of war for a long time; Israel has been entangled with Hamas and Iran very recently. India itself has also successfully launched the ‘Operation Sindoor’ on 7 May, 2025 to combat Pakistan supported terrorism after the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Therefore, in light of the changing global scenario, some of the intellectuals contend that India should rethink her foreign policy with all of the neighboring countries including Nepal with special reference to the security issues. The present research paper provides a review of some insights from Indo-Nepal bilateral relations focusing on trade and security issues in perspective of the current political scenario at the global level.
DOI: 10.33545/26646021.2025.v7.i6a.607Pages: 60-65 | Views: 1199 | Downloads: 39Download Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Jagbir Singh.
Insights from Indo-Nepal trade & security issues in the current political global scenario. Int J Political Sci Governance 2025;7(6):60-65. DOI:
10.33545/26646021.2025.v7.i6a.607
