Nepal with its unique geostrategic position continues to be a café for clandestine conversations and covert operations. However, the government’s efforts to uproot Chinese espionage activities might also blow off cover for other diplomatic intelligence agencies
New Delhi: After decades of all but ignoring large-scale foreign intelligence operations targeting Nepal, the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government is engaged in a major crackdown on spying and counter-intelligence bids.
Kathmandu in the past four months has taken constructive steps, armed with political will, to cauterize Intelligence operations by not only apprehending foreign operatives but also tracking down Nepalese nationals aiding these espionage efforts.
With officials claiming that these steps have been weaponized mainly against China, the government’s bid might also blow off covers from other clandestine diplomatic agencies at work in Nepal.
Track and Tap
The entire process reportedly started in November 2019, with the government legislation allowing formation of a counterintelligence body against those spying against Nepal.
Through an amendment in the special services bill, the government geared up to constitute a unit on counterintelligence under the National Investigation Department (NID) currently under Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“The bill empowers the unit to monitor, intercept and track all kinds of signals as well as keep an eye on suspicious individuals, associations and institutions. This unit will be very similar to the Directorate of Military Intelligence however it will have operational flexibility and will be under the command of the PMO,” a senior government official told the News21.
He also added that the unit will also have the freedom to conduct covert operations both inland and in foreign territories to collect information on counterintelligence and espionage activities.
Trap and Strike
Two days back, Nepal’s Minister of Home (MoHA) Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa tabled the immigration bill in the national assembly.
This bill empowers the state to restrict suspicious Nepalese nationals from undertaking any foreign journey. Under the provisions of this bill, the MoHA can hold locals from leaving Kathmandu with or without prescribing the period of such restriction under various circumstances.
In the reasoning provided while tabling the bill, MoHA officials stated that a foreign trip of any suspicious individual will have an adverse impact on the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and international relation of Nepal. Thus, the department seeks the relevant permission from the assembly to stop such an individual from leaving Nepal.
“This bill primarily targets people having charges of cybercrime, financial crime, banking offenses, immigration offenses, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking, narcotics, kidnapping, arms and ammunition cartel, organized crime and terrorism. As our reports indicate that foreign agencies use these individuals as pawns to penetrate Nepal or gain sensitive and classified information,” the officer indicated.
Apart from locking down Nepalese citizens, the bill also has set guidelines for foreign nationals visiting Kathmandu. The bill has trimmed and tailored alleged extracurricular activities carried out by foreign nationals either to influence or intrude Nepal’s security, affect Kathmandu’s relations with other nations and even misuse visas.
According to the bill, ‘No foreign citizen shall engage in political activities, commit an offense which intrudes on the national security of Nepal and affects the relation between Nepal and its friendly nations, and misuse the purpose of the visa.’
Government actions police
Political will powered by the bills has actioned the Nepalese police, who have reportedly launched a nation-wide campaign to covertly collect details on the activities of all foreign nationals, residing in the country.
According to government sources, the police have been instructed to collect personal information of all foreign nationals, regardless of their citizenship. This information will be then shared with MoHA and the department of immigration for corroboration, storage and if required to launch a necessary action.
“Several foreign nationals who visit Nepal, during their entry into the country claim to be tourists or research scholars. When they are caught in some sensitive criminal cases, their real identity is revealed. Thus, we plan to collect information on all foreign nationals, organizations, and institutions in Nepal,” an officer said.
When contacted, Senior Superintendent of Police Uttam Subedi refusing to provide any details of the campaign, only said that “This drive to collect information of foreigners is not new. The process is only being fast-tracked.”
It was the same Nepalese police, who in December 2019, had apprehended 122 Chinese nationals on charges of being involved in suspicious and sensitive crimes. The News21 had then reported that the MoHA, following this incident, had instructed the police to collect information on all Chinese nationals in Nepal.
