From the Nepali press
Naya Patrika, 29 September
A week has passed since India imposed an unofficial blockade, cutting supplies of fuel and other essential commodities to Nepal. Experts of international relations say the blockade has violated at least eight international laws and conventions, and this is tantamount to aggression.
1) The Vienna Convention
The UN passed the Convention on Transit and Trade of Land-locked States in 1965, allowing land-locked nations like Nepal to import goods from other countries without any hindrance.
2) Law of the Seas
UN Convention on the Law of the Seas 1973, to which both Nepal and India are signatories, allows all land-locked countries unhindered access to the sea.
3) WTO laws
More than 165 countries, including Nepal and India, are members of World Trade Organisation, and they are entitled to the right to trade with each other.
4) Transit Treaty
In 1989, India imposed an official economic blockade against Nepal when a transit treaty between these two countries expired. The treaty was renewed only after restoration of multiparty democracy the following year. The treaty is still in force but India has imposed an undeclared blockade against Nepal.
5) Bilateral Trade Treaty
Nepal has signed a trade treaty with India to access to sea via Indian territory, which has been violated.
6) Asian Highway Agreement
Asian countries, including Nepal and India, have signed an agreement to connect their highways for regional trade. Nepal’s East-West Highway and Arniko Highway are parts of the Asian highway.
7) SAFTA agreement
South Asian countries have adopted the concept of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) to promote trade and business with each other. SAFTA law does not allow any country to block other country’s goods.
8) Member countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have started Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which guarantees free trade among its member countries.