Lethal weapons

Nepal has achieved the distinction of becoming the second country in Asia, after China, to free itself of landmines. A country with a stunning landscape, its land however held a deadly secret. It was littered with landmines - a legacy of the decade-long civil war. The Nepal army had mined the ground around key infrastructure and security installations in a bid to protect these from the Maoists. It had laid 53 minefields across the country. Fortunately, it had mapped these minefields making the task of demining that much easier. Under the 2006 peace deal, the government and the Maoists agreed to halt the use of landmines and to assist in marking and clearing mines. They set a 60-day deadline to complete landmine clearance, but it has taken Nepal over four years to complete the task. Although Nepal is now free of landmines, there are tens of thousands of homemade bombs embedded in its earth. The country must work to rid itself of these as well.

All weapons are lethal and landmines are particularly so. They are indiscriminate, killing soldiers and civilians alike. They are insidious. A seemingly lush green paddy field could be harbouring landmines in its bowels. Landmines continue to kill civilians and animals long after the war is over.  A powerful international movement has campaigned to ban the use, manufacture and sale of landmines. Unfortunately, many countries including India, Pakistan and the US have not signed the Ottawa mine ban treaty, although some like India follow regulations contained in a 1996 protocol.

Proponents of landmines claim that these are needed to defend long land borders, to prevent infiltration and defend security installations. But those who fall prey to landmines are neither enemy soldiers nor terrorists. It is mainly civilians, that too children, and cattle that stray unknowingly into these killing fields and pay a heavy price. Nepal acted wisely and humanely by clearing the landmines. India should draw inspiration from its action. Landmines have been laid not just along the India-Pakistan border to prevent infiltration but in populated areas in Kashmir, the Northeast and Chhattisgarh. This is indefensible. As a start, India must clear these populated areas of landmines.