India’s security challenge in northern frontier: A historical analysis (1950-1960)

Nepal’s geographical location affects India’s security sphere. Therefore, India has been trying to keep Nepal under its influence since independence by exploiting the existing geographical proximity, socio-cultural unity, economic transactions, etc. between the two countries. Although its form of influence is different from the British India and India has always respected Nepal’s sovereignty. China’s occupation of Tibet and its ‘Five Fingers of Tibet’ policy have further challenged India’s security. In this context, the impact of Nepal’s internal political instability on Indo-Nepal bilateral relations in the 1950s and China’s attempts to reduce India’s influence in Nepal by exploiting that instability and establishing its dominance is the subject of this article.