It’s April 26, 2024, and you’re reading Off the Record.
I’m Pranaya Rana and in this newsletter, we’ll stop, take a deep breath, and dive into one singular issue that defined the past week.
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Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening from Kathmandu. The Emir of Qatar arrived for a two-day visit and the Nepal Investment Summit is planned for this weekend. But first, a great big thank you to Tsering Choden Gurung who continues to support this newsletter with a paid subscription. I’ve received a few other contributions too with no identifiers so please, please do send me an email! I greatly appreciate your contribution! 🙏🏽
Now without any further ado, let’s get right down to it, shall we?
Emir arrives, Nepal gets a holiday
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday for a two-day visit and the government promptly declared a public holiday, for what reason I know not. A public holiday doesn’t affect private businesses, only public services are affected. On a working day like Tuesday, a public holiday does not lessen traffic and has no discernible effect on the lives of Nepalis. It is simply a sign of obsequiousness, a declaration to Qatar that you are so important that we’re giving the entire country a day off. Many on social media had a field day with a former monarchy now providing a public holiday and stopping all traffic to welcome a foreign monarch.
But I kvetch too much. During the emir’s visit, Qatar and Nepal signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) related to cooperation between various Nepalis and Qatari ministries on culture and arts, tourism, education and scientific research, youth and sports, and public diplomacy. In return, Qatar received two elephants, offspring of the notorious wild elephant Ronaldo so named because he kicks people around as if they were a football. The elephants have yet to be transported to Qatar though, as official documentation and processes are being worked out. This is the first time that Nepal has offered elephants as a diplomatic gift, previously presenting 26 rhinos to countries like India, the US, Japan, Germany, Austria, and most recently, China.
More importantly, 400,000 Nepalis are estimated to be working in Qatar, many of them under brutal conditions. At least 2,100 Nepalis are believed to have died building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar. Thousands of others suffer from health complications related to working in the extreme heat often without air conditioning or even water. Most deaths are chalked up to ‘natural causes’ even though these are men in the prime of their lives. There is no investigation or post-mortem; the Qatari employers rarely provide compensation, which the Nepal government puts up instead. A labor agreement was supposed to be signed during the emir’s visit but none materialized, showing just how much value the Nepal government places on the lives of those propping up the Nepali economy. Migrant labor rights should’ve been at the top of the agenda since that is our most important relation with Qatar.
Some other stray observations on the emir’s visit. The emir and his entourage arrived on four jets — two Gulfstream G650s that carried the support team, a modified Airbus A340 carrying the emir, and another Airbus A340 that acted as a backup jet should anything go wrong. Qatar, whose massive wealth derives from petroleum, has never been a big opponent of climate change. His four jets must’ve added quite a bit of emissions to the atmosphere.
The emir was welcomed at the airport with much fanfare by President Ram Chandra Poudel, a guard of honor from the Nepal Army, and various ministers. Nepal also provided the emir with a car that would ferry him to his appointments but hilariously, the emir, who is 6 feet 5 inches, apparently did not fit into the car and switched to one from his own embassy. First rule of diplomacy is to study your guests thoroughly and prepare for them accordingly. What a shame.
Aftab Alam sentenced to life in prison
On Wednesday, Muhammad Aftab Alam, Nepal’s own homegrown Hitler, was sentenced to life by the Rautahat District Court over his role in a fatal bomb blast in 2008 that killed at least two people. On the eve of the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, Alam, a Nepali Congress politician and former minister, had tasked a group of his supporters in Rajpur Municipality, Rautahat district with making bombs that would be used for booth capture during the elections. The bombs accidentally went off, injuring nearly a dozen people (estimates vary). Alam is accused of transporting the injured to a brick kiln and burning them alive to hide the evidence. Although at least a dozen people are alleged to have been killed, Alam and three others were found guilty of the killing of two.
Following the gruesome murder, families of the victims had registered complaints against Alam and his cronies with the police. Alam turned himself in but the district attorney did not pursue a case against him. Victims complained to the Supreme Court, which ordered that an investigation be carried out. The district attorney officially filed a case against Alam in November 2019 and he was subsequently arrested. Alam’s lawyers argued that he was framed and that the case was politically motivated. Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba even pledged to free Alam. But numerous incidents were documented where Alam’s supporters had threatened and bribed witnesses to change their statements. One of the individuals who had initially registered the police complaint was shot dead by unknown persons in 2011.
Alam will no doubt appeal the conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. So it remains to be seen whether he will actually serve any time in prison. But the Rautahat District Court’s decision is commendable, especially given how much political pressure there is in Madhesh Province. Oh, did I mention that Alam’s son, Muhammad Rajik Alam, is currently mayor of Rajpur Municipality?
Investment Summit this weekend
This coming Sunday and Monday, April 28 and 29, the Nepal government will be hosting the Investment Summit, showcasing 148 projects in energy, tourism, transport, infrastructure, and agriculture to international investors. The government had sent 1,355 invitations to potential investors, including billionaires Elon Musk, Jack Ma, and Mukesh Ambani; only 634, mostly Indian and Chinese businesspersons, accepted. Nepal unsurprisingly never heard back from Musk, Ma, or Ambani. However, 36 countries — including Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Cyprus, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Vanuatu, and Vietnam — will be represented by one or two attendees.
The projects on offer for investment are mostly hydropower plants, including the 1,902 MW Mugu Karnali hydro project and 1,720 MW Khimti Thoshe Shivalaya hydro project. Both projects are estimated to cost over Rs 230 billion. There’s also the 10MW Karnali Chisapani Wind Power Project, 650MW Kaligandaki 2 Storage Hydropower Project, Chandragiri-Chitlang-Palung-Chitwan Expressway, Dhulikhel Medicity Hospital, Panchkhal Special Economic Zone, Gautam Buddha Maternity Hospital Project, various transmission lines, roads, and tunnels. There are also 31 private sector projects, which are mostly hotels, small-scale hydropower projects, and cable cars.
All of this would be well and good if Nepal wasn’t so difficult for investors. Nepal’s political instability, rampant corruption, labyrinthine laws, and oodles of red tape mean that the country is not an attractive destination for foreign investment. Often, lawyers and bureaucrats themselves don’t know the laws and regulations, resulting in months of delays for investors while things are figured out. Even once investment comes in, efficient operation is a pipe dream, resulting in delays and setbacks. Exiting the country is another nightmare. Given all of these existing conditions, why would anyone invest in Nepal when there are dozens of similarly placed countries with much less hassle?
We Nepalis believe we are important but it is time for us to downsize our egos and accept that we are not special. Investors will not come to Nepal because we have Everest and Lumbini; they will come if we can provide policy stability, solid infrastructure, and less bureaucracy.
One more Nepali in Russia
Last week, on April 18, the parents of Nepalis who are currently fighting in the Russian Army held a protest in Kathmandu. They demanded that the government bring back all Nepalis currently in Russia, rescue those Nepalis captured by the Ukrainian forces, and provide compensation for the dead. So far, the Nepal government has confirmed the deaths of 22 Nepalis while fighting in Russia’s ‘Special Military Operation’. Another 15 are suspected to have died.
On Monday, April 22, a video was shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, a former advisor to the Ukrainian Internal Affairs minister. The video shows Russian soldiers conversing casually with a Nepali recruit identified in the subtitles as ‘Papendra’ but more likely to be Upendra. Papendra is enthusiastic but can barely understand what the Russians are talking about. Still, he responds that Russia is ‘good’ with a thumbs up and that America is ‘no good’ with a thumbs down.
I wonder if Papendra’s parents were on the streets demanding the government ensure his return. I wonder if Papendra even wants to return. Certainly, many were hoodwinked into signing up to the Russian forces but others joined up willingly, knowing that they would be shooting to kill Ukrainians. Not all Nepalis are victims and not all are willing mercenaries.
Social media trashes Nepal’s welcome for West Indies cricket team
The West Indies ‘A’ Division cricket team arrived in Nepal on Wednesday for a five-match T20 series. On social media, a video of the West Indies cricketers loading their own luggage into the back of a pickup truck went viral as a great many called out the ‘disrespect’ shown to guests. For many, it was a sign of Nepal’s indifference to visiting cricketers, especially West Indians who were once a powerhouse in international cricket. After much online bashing, Zimbabwean cricketer Sikandar Raza stepped in, saying that “Nepal will give them the best treatment possible within their means and rightly so and can also guarantee that none of the Carribean [sic] boys will see this as a problem or a hassle.”
Both of these perspectives are right. Yes, Nepal could’ve welcomed the cricketers in a better fashion, perhaps even chartered a better pickup or bus to transport their luggage as the vehicle in the video looks noticeably beat up. But Raza is also right that Nepal will try to do well by the West Indians, especially Nepal’s cricket team. The authorities, in this case, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), might drop the ball but Nepali cricketers have long learned to function despite the machinations of their governing body. Without infrastructure, without proper training or pay, they’ve gone on to win accolades and the hearts of cricket fans around the world who see Nepal as the scrappy underdog succeeding despite having the odds stacked against them.
The thing with social media is that nuance is lost; it’s either this or that, and there’s no middle ground. Most people are looking to score a point by appealing to their preordained audiences. Comments and posts that tread the middle don’t go viral. So sometimes, it’s best to step back, take a deep breath, and refrain from reacting. Let the West Indies play the Nepali team. I’m certain it will be a fun game for both sides and the Nepalis will learn from their experience going up against a world-class team that set aside some time to fly halfway across the world to come play here.
The deep dive: Where is Bipin Joshi?
Photo: Bipin Joshi social media
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups unleashed a frightening terrorist attack against Israel. Over 1,130 people were killed, the majority of them civilians. Ten Nepalis were killed in the attack. Over 250 others were taken hostage, including foreign nationals living and working in Israel. Among these hostages was Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old student who was in Israel on an ‘earn and learn’ program where foreign students spend five days a week working on Israeli farms and one day in university furthering their studies. Joshi had arrived in Israel just three weeks before the attack.
After an initial flurry of reporting in the immediate aftermath of the attack, Nepali authorities and even the public at large seem to have largely forgotten about Joshi. The last update on his whereabouts and his health was in November when the Israeli Defense Forces released a CCTV video from Al-Shifa Hospital that showed two hostages alongside militants. The IDF referred to the hostages as a “Nepalese civilian and a Thai civilian”. If their intelligence is right then the Nepali civilian is certainly Bipin Joshi as he is the only Nepali hostage. That was the last time the Nepali media reported in any substantial manner on Joshi. He was largely forgotten for five months, until now.
Bipin Joshi is in the news once again but not due to any diligent reporting by the Nepali media. This week, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, was in Nepal for two days on an official visit. On Tuesday, President Ram Chandra Poudel asked the emir for Qatar’s assistance in rescuing and bringing back Joshi. Qatar hosts the Hamas leadership and is reportedly Hamas’ “most important financial backer and foreign ally”. If anyone could place pressure on Hamas to release Joshi, it would be either Qatar or Iran, another significant Hamas partner. The emir assured Poudel that he would do what he could but will securing Joshi’s release figure into the emir’s to-do list? Nepal is not an important ally or trade partner. All Nepal provides to Qatar is bodies to build its infrastructure, currently around 400,000 of them. But the emir did come to Nepal so maybe he will take up Joshi’s release with the Hamas leadership as an act of goodwill.
In the initial days, the Nepal government made a few public calls for Hamas to release Joshi. Some diplomatic efforts were made, with Nepal’s Ambassador to Israel Kanta Rijal and Ambassador to Qatar Naresh Bikram Dhakal charged with bringing back Joshi. These diplomats met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Qatari officials, but despite assurances, there was no progress. Then foreign minister NP Saud did what he could, meeting with multiple Qatari officials, including Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Qatar's Ambassador to Nepal Mishal Mohammad Al Ansari, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Still, no progress on Joshi’s whereabouts, health, or any possibility of release.
At the same time, in November, Hamas unconditionally released 23 Thai hostages in a deal with Bangkok mediated by numerous countries, including Israel, Qatar, Iran, Egypt, and Malaysia. Iran reportedly played the biggest role since it and Qatar are largely responsible for Hamas’ finances. These Thai hostages were in the exact same situation as Joshi. They too were in Israel as workers and students and had no stake in the conflict. They were all neutral third parties, which Hamas seemed to recognize when it set them free. So why not Bipin Joshi? Hamas has no quarrel with Nepal. In fact, Nepal has long supported Palestine and Palestinian rights in international forums. There is no benefit in Hamas keeping Joshi so why is he still being held?
I don’t have an answer to that question but it is something that our authorities should be asking, publicly in international forums and privately to those with Hamas’ ear. The Hamas leadership needs to get the message that there is no benefit in continuing to hold on to Bipin Joshi. He is a citizen of a country with basically no international pull and no stake in the Israel-Palestine conflict. They cannot ransom him and they cannot do a prisoner swap for him. If Hamas is truly fighting for Palestinians then a citizen of a country that is largely sympathetic to their cause should not be a hostage.
Whatever the Qatari emir does, Joshi’s continued captivity should be a blot on the foreign policy of any nation. A citizen who had no part in the Israel-Palestine conflict has been held hostage for seven months and the government has barely even issued a statement. Even if diplomatic efforts are being made behind the scenes, the government has a responsibility to publicly declare what those efforts are. Such statements can help ease Joshi’s family’s worries and will also provide the Nepali public with the sense that the government cares about Nepali citizens. Instead, the media silence has sent the message that Nepal’s authorities and political actors cannot be bothered to rescue a Nepali hostage and if any other Nepalis face similar fates in foreign lands, they are on their own.
Meanwhile, the Joshi family has visited every authority they can — the president, the prime minister, the foreign minister, the Israeli ambassador. This week, they met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal once again and handed over another letter requesting that the government do everything it can to bring back their son. We can only imagine the trauma that the family must be going through, not knowing what conditions their son might be in, whether he is well or not, or even if he is alive or dead. Their son, along with ten other Nepalis, has become collateral damage in a conflict that we have nothing to do with. This, sadly, has become routine for Nepalis, whether it is in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Many Nepalis support the Palestinian cause. I do too. The Palestinians deserve a state of their own and they deserve to be free of Israeli oppression. The ongoing bombing of Gaza needs to end and a lasting solution — one that does not result in Israel occupying and settling even more territory and enacting even more brutalities on the Palestinians — must be sought. But while we call for the bombing to end and for Palestinians to be free, we can at the same time also call for Bipin Joshi’s release. He is truly an innocent, someone who attempted to save his friends at great risk to his own life. He does not deserve to be held in captivity for months. His family does not deserve to live in fear, not knowing whether their son is alive or dead. As more and more Nepalis travel the world in search of employment or education, his fate could easily be ours. If we were in his place, we would want our fellow citizens, our government, to fight for us and speak out about us. We can call for the unconditional release of Bipin Joshi just as we call for the liberation of Palestine.
That’s all for this week. I will be back next Friday, in your emails, for the next edition of Off the Record.
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