Nepal votes against China & Iran footballers redeem
Opinion Watch
India and China are two key players in the Nepal politics. The elites in Nepal lament 1950 India-Nepal Treaty at the behest of the Chinese spies. China is heavy invested in the Nepalese politics in search for a colony.
The Pioneer in its Editorial has deep-dived the Nepal politics, weighing two main players – Sher Bahadur Deuba (Nepali Congress) and KP Sharma Oli (Communist Unified Marxist Leninist Party). The daily analysed the Sunfay polling in Nepal on India-China scale, calling Deuba pro-India and Oli a pro-China. Since adopting Constitution in 2015, Nepal has a highly instable politics, with governments changing too often.
Latest reports showed that Deuba is on course to form the government again in Nepal, with his party maintaining a comfortable lead over the immediate rival. The Noida-based daily makes a reference to Nepal staying away from BIMSTEC and leaning over Beijing to gain economic heft against India. The Pioneer’s Editorial appears to have not updated with the recent developments in Nepal, which included the Nepalese Parliament ratifying a financial assistance programme with the US, flurry of high-level visits between New Delhi and Kathmandu, and deepening traders’ anger against China for blocking the border trade for over two years now. Also, Nepal has survived an economic scare on the lines of Sri Lanka because of better vaccination programmes due to the Indian support and also tourism buoyancy along with remittances, which all have India connections. The Nepal verdict should be seen as a popular rejection of China’s domineering interference in Nepal.
Iran footballers redeem
Over 400, including several college students, have been killed by the Iranian security personnel on the order of the authoritarian regime to crush the largest popular movement since 1979, which is led by cross-sections of the Iranian people. The Iranian football team stood by the people of Iran, and refused to sing the national anthem.
Several dailies have come out with Editorials to hail the defiance by the Iranian football team of a ruthless Ayatollah regime, which is killing own citizens, for just refusing to wear a piece of cloth on their heads. The dailies have also come down heavily on China for supporting the autocrats in Tehran, while also faulting the vacillating US policies on Iran.
Girls in Iran have proven to be most courageous. They have been undeterred in the face of the most brutal crackdown since the killing of Mahsa Amini. The girls on the college campuses have led their protests without enough international support. Intellectuals in the world capitals have been simple mute spectators, while the multilateral agencies have demonstrated lack of empathy for such blatant human rights.
About The Author
