Why does Nepal "Need" Anti-Aircraft guns ?
atul...@gramps.clarku.edu
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We have a recent news piece saying that the Royal Army was importing some
Anti-aircraft guns from Sweden. This news raises more questions than it
answers.
1. The first primary question is: Why in the hell does Nepal need
anti-aircraft guns? It sure beats me and if there are other people who can
speculate or even argue why this is needed, I would sure appreciate their
enligthening persuasion.
First who does Nepal Army plan to defend against anyway? The Indian Army or
the Chinese Army, the thoughts are just too fantastic to believe. There is no
way all the historic sum total of Gorkhali "bahaduri" will match the
technolgical prowess of modern warfare and this was proven as early as 1816
when despite the British India's genunine admiration of Gorkhali bahduri, the
Nepalese army lost due to poor logistics and weaponry support. In both
conflicts with the Indian and Tibet/China, nepal was helped by Nepal's
topography. Historians have Indian army and Chinese army getting as close to
Makwanpur Garhi in Bhim[hedi in the south and up to Trisuli Rasuwa Garhi in
the north until by a combination of negotiations and weather that strained the
logistic support of the invading army and nepal accepting the need to send
tributes, an implicit level of surrender of soveriegnty, the army receded.
Sure the Indian fighter jets overfly our borders n Biratnagar and kakadbhitta
or kanchenjunga mostly trying snoop on Chinese manoeuvers and just plain
enjoyment of thumbing a country that can do nothing about it anyway. Are the
anti-aircraft guns bought to shoot down these errant Indian jets? it shudders
me to think that Nepal would care to show this form of "bahaduri" and invite
massive indian wrath: economic, cultural, political and military.
2. Are the anti-aircrft guns for anti-terrorist warfare, to shoot down
hijacked planes? Surely if mahendra had these guns, we would not have to
endure Girija and Chakra who masterminded the Congressi hijack of RNAC plane
and bank money to Farbesgunj? Is the army being persuaded by US DEA people to
purchase these guns to fight drug traffic, or kashmir, Punjabi, Tamil, and
khampa terrorists said to find safe haven in Nepal? Too fantanstic to believe.
3. Are the anti-aircrft guns for internal suppression? Surely the Royal
Army has been intimately linked with palatial feuds, oftening making or
breaking one faction from bhimsen Thapa, Damodar pandey to the Basnetts and
the Ranas. Even during the democratic struggle, the Royal Army is credited
with more muders than all the police together that faithful day when 400,000
Nepali people marched to the Palace to machine gunned in cold blood.The
official admitted 50 dead, eyewitness claim upto 500 dead, manyu of them being
lugged away half dead and burned alive in huge army trucks. Even during the
curfews, some of the goriest deaths of brains being blown away of people who
got caught going to buy vegetables in Ason, Bheda Singh, and Indra Chowk send
shudders throught the people of Kathmandu who say some of these photographs
displayed in prominent publict places.
Even so, does army anticipatethat the threat against the Royal + Army would be
so great that they would need anti-aircraft guns? The closest a people's war
got to violence was Ram Raja's bomb attacks near the palace, the annapurna
etc, even these some doubt was engineered by nepte Sharad Shah to generated
sympathy towards the Royals and repugnances towards the people's struggle.
Anti-aircraft guns for internal suppression is a far overkill.
4. This leaves me with only two "possible" excuses: the need for big toys
for the gnerals in the army just so that they can say they have it and play
with it as many military jocks are anyway, and if what an expensive hobby we
are indulgingt as acountry. Expensive in two ways both interms of hard
currency and political risks.
5. The memory of the 1988 blockade by Indian, following Nepal's import of
Chinese anti-aircraft guns without the prior knowledge, read approval, of the
Indian govt as per the secred 1965 defence treaty of nepal and india, is still
fresh in Nepalese minds. While the nepalese did pull up their bootstraps to
deal with the scarcity, they stopped short of the nationalistic zeal trying to
be worked up the King and the Panches. Most knowledgeable nepalese blamed the
king for getting involved in a personal tiff with Rajiv Gandhi and for panches
for india baiting to lenghten the political legitimacy of their power. It so
happened that india thought it was time to marginalize the king and his
minions on the back of pro-democratic forces of congress and communists just
as autocratic regimes were falling all over Europe.
So, the question remains, is this a new trial balloon in which Nepal is trying
to test how much rope India will give Nepal to hang herself with. That is if
India objects vociferously, the Nepalese govt which has yet to give formal
approval to the Royal Nepal Army's request can cancel this and play down this
a lo-level request not reflecting the policies of the State. Or, if indian
govt is mum or demure, will Nepal read this as greater political space for
Nepal to assert nepal's sovereignty, a signal that India is after all amenable
to reviewing the Indo-nepal treaty in light of changed security constellations
in postcold war south asia?
Personally, i do not know, and given past recent experience I am inclined to
believe that this anti-aircraft guns for the Royal Army of Nepal would prove
to be hazardous toys Nepal would pay dearly. I am open to counter arguments.
Thanks.
Amulya Tuladhar
Clark University
kin...@gmail.com
kindk...@gmail.com
bhum20...@gmail.com
Think of it this way. The country is full of mountains and hills. Traditional autocannons and artillery cannot elevate that high for direct fire. The only class of weapons that can elevate high enough for direct fire in Nepalese terrain are AA guns.
We have some 3.7 Inchers left from WWII, mostly shelved in cosmoline due to heavy weight making it impractical.
Most of the active uses are the 40mm Bofors (Explosive payload fire support) and the 14.5mm Heavy Machine Gun quad mount on AA fixtures for high angle Heavy MG fire support. Most are towed but some 14.5mm were welded on the Ferret Armored car turret as an Ad-Hoc fire support vehicle for Counter Insurgency fire support.