For the past week there have been statements, comments and speculation onIndia's policy towards Nepal - more specifically the present regime - which havenot always been illuminating. After his meetings with ('having received inaudience', as Kathmandu put it) external affairs minister Natwar Singh and PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh, on April 23 at the sidelines of the BandungAsian-African Summit at Jakarta, King Gyanendra revealed that India had agreedto resume arms supplies to Nepal. The Indian Prime Minister's guarded comment,that the issue would be seen in the 'proper perspective', was in keeping withthe presumed confidentiality of his discussion, but became inadequate in view ofKing Gyanendra's bald declaration. Since then events have moved rapidly.
Initial assessments, in the absence of any clear statement of position by India,were that Delhi had agreed to resume arms supplies, or at least unspecifiedquantities of those in the pipeline, in return for assurances that the regimewould permit Nepal to return to the path of democracy. The alleged front-loadingof the understanding caused unqualified public dismay in India as it becameuncertain whether the king's regime would, indeed, pursue any road map towardsdemocracy.