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Regulation of open border with India and introduction of passport system are what majority of Nepalis desire. At least an opinion poll conducted last April by the Media Services International (MSI) reveals this. The poll results were made public on Monday.

Run by a group of professional people in mass communication, MSI is "a development communication agency devoted to promoting active participation of the people in national democratic exercise and expediting the process of socio-economic transformation."

The MSI with the assistance from London-based Westminster Foundation for Democracy had commissioned an opinion survey covering 15 districts out of 75 districts of the country last April. The overall objective of the survey was to measure the Nepalese perception regarding the open border between Nepal and India.

In a press meet organised by the MSI today (3 July 2000), Hem Bahadur Bista, Director of MSI and Consultant of the opinion poll while revealing the results of the poll said, "A resounding majority of Nepalese (85.5 per cent) want the traditional open border with India to be regulated, with 42.9 per cent calling for outright introduction of passport system between the two countries." Though Nepal and India are sovereign, independent countries, both enjoy open border system. Both the countries have kept their common borders - east, south and west of Nepal - open, letting their people unrestricted movement into each other\rquote s territory.

The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Nepal and India, which has been constantly decried in Nepal as an unfair pact, provides for a free entry and exit to the peoples of both the countries across the common border. However, both the countries have been facing serious problems due to open border, problems related especially to cross-border crimes such as illegal migration, smuggling, girls trafficking, robberies etc

According to the MSI poll, only a meagre 8.7 per cent of the 1,300 respondents want the present open border arrangement to be continued. Public opinion is clearly opposed to open border but some quarters of Nepali intelligentia may still decry the MSI findings, if history is any indication.

It may be recalled here that National Population Commission of His Majesty's Government had formed a task force to study the domestic as well as international migration in Nepal 17 years back under the convenorship of Dr. Harka Gurung. The report presented by the task force had suggested to regulate and control the domestic as well as international migration. It was also suggested that movement of peoples of Nepal and India should be allowed only through certain points and movement from other areas should be declared as illegal. Finally, it was suggested to introduce the passport system.

No concrete works regarding the implementation of the report were carried out. Rather it was demanded by some corners immediately after the release of the report that Dr. Gurung be hanged for his report. His findings were laregly considered to be impratical.

However, after 17 years of that incident Nepalese people are calling for border regulation as well as introduction of passport system. Yet, this question prods diverse thougths: To what extent should the border be 'regulated' at a time when opening up borders is a global trend? Members of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), which include Nepal and India as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, are already planning for common open market in coming days.

The respondents have reasons for the whys. Why should Nepal-India border be regulated? A total of 28.1 per cent of respondents feel that border regulation would stop cross-country criminal and other undesirable activities.

Many feel that criminals are taking benefit from the open border followed by businessmen and industrialists engaged in illegal trade. Only 8.5 per cent respondents said general people are taking benefit from open border.

Once, Mahesh Lal Pradhan, former president of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the apex body of Nepalese businessmen and industrialists, had said that the volume of illegal border trade was higher than that of legal trade, and Nepalese industries were suffering because of illegal border trade. The illegal entry of goods like gold and third countries' import into India attested to this phenomenon.

Terrorist activities in border areas as charged specially by Indian officials and media, also calls for an attention. It may be recalled here that an Indian magazine (India Today) recently, quoting a secret report of Indian Intelligence entitled 'The Nepal Game Plan" had stated, "The 1990s have seen Nepal emerging as an important staging post in the conduct of Pakistan's prolonged, low-intensity, proxy war against India, the ISI has exploited Nepalese territory for mounting major terrorists offensive against India with the help of Indian exptremist elements from J&K and Punjab who have no difficuly in freely crossing the open and largely unregulated 1751 kilometres long Indo-Nepal border."

His Majesty's Government has categorically said time and again that Nepal would not allow anybody to launch any activities against neighbouring countries.

Whether the contents of the report are true or false is another question, but the report itself indicates to the massive activities of Indian intelligence in Nepal. Nepalese officials have already condemned the report as malicious but the Indian magazine continues to stand by its story.

Such unwanted activities could be reduced if not controlled fully, once the border could be regulated.

Besides controlling cross-country crimes, it would protect Nepal's nationality and identity, 27.3 per cent of the respondents said. A total of 22.8 per cent were of the view that such a move would help retain opportunities and possibilities of employment for Nepalis within Nepal.

As there does not exist any system for border regulation, or any system of work permit, it is not easy to estimate the exact number of Indian people working in Nepal as well as Nepalis people working in India. But it is a common scene in every nook and corner of the Kingdom to see Indian people engaged in various jobs.

"Those who believed that border regulation would serve to reiterate and reaffirm Nepal's independent identity constituted 20.8 per cent of the respondents, whereas only a negligible percentage (0.8 per cent) voiced no opinion on why Nepal-India border should be regulated," the MSI report said.

For an effective border regulation, majority of the respondents feel that passport system would be better (42.9 per cent). Some 30.2 per cent said that the practice of examining travel documents at entry points would be better. A total of 14.9 suggested the introduction of work permit while 4.8 per cent advocated for identity cards for border residents.

Shrestha is a Newslook contributor based in Kathmandu.