Challenges to the Revision of the Nepal-India 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty

摘要

The contemporary strategic and political environment has gone through tremendous changes in comparison to the context in which the 1950 treaty was signed. The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's August 2014 visit to Nepal, the first by an Indian prime minister in 17 years, has rekindled the hope of improving Nepal-India relations, including revision of the 1950 treaty. Against this backdrop, this article argues that without understanding India's strategic, security-related and political concerns, revision of the 1950 treaty is highly unlikely. The article further argues that by identifying and addressing the key challenges, both countries can develop a shared strategic vision which in turn can provide an enhanced framework for the revision of the 1950 treaty and further strengthen the 'special' NepaHndia relationship in the changed strategic context of the 21 st century.