After almost being closed for about 7 months due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Nepal border was reopened on Thursday (22 October), but the Nepalese government decided to keep the border closed and deployed the border police.
The decision sends a strong message that the Government of Nepal, headed by Prime Minister KP Oli, is not in favor of opening the border with India, and Kathmandu is not interested in normalizing ties with India.
Indo-Nepal was closed on 23 March as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, causing a lot of trouble for people living in villages along the border. But the Indian Government agreed to open the border at 6 a.m. on October 22.
People near the Raxaul border were very pleased to know that the Indian government has agreed to open the border, but the decision taken by Nepal has put a stop to their happiness.
Nepal has stationed paramilitary personnel at the border to stop people from crossing the border. A senior Nepalese security official said that, according to the order issued by the Nepalese government, the border would remain closed until midnight on 15 November.
It is reported that Nepal has deployed a large number of paramilitary forces at the Raxaul border and that they are not allowing anyone to join Nepal from the Indian side.
The proximity between Nepal and China has increased a great deal in recent months, and it seems that Nepal’s PM Oli is waiting for permission from the Chinese Government to reopen the border.