As Nepal kicked off its tourism year on Saturday, along with 10 other foreign visitors, a legislator from Bihar became the first Indian to hit the headlines in the Himalayan republic in 2011, but for the wrong reason. Sarfaraz Alam, elected from Jokihat in Araria district as a ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) candidate, created a furore after he crossed into southern Nepal’s Saptari district on Saturday flanked by machine gun-toting bodyguards without giving prior information to the Nepali authorities.
The young politician, son of former Union minister Mohammed Taslimuddin, arrived with his family members to celebrate New Year’s day with a picnic at Golghar, a scenic spot near the Kosi barrage in Bhardwaha in Saptari. Two Bolero vehicles also carried his armed bodyguards.
As per protocol, Indian officials can’t bring armed bodyguards to Nepal and vice-versa. The norm is to inform the host country which then provides security. The controversial legislator, who allegedly faces charges of criminal activities, spent nearly five hours in Nepal ignoring the furore he had created and security officials’ request to leave. It was ironic that Mr Alam became the first Indian to hit the headlines in Nepal at the start of the new year, especially when the country is seeking to bring at least 265,000 Indian tourists to meet its goal of drawing one million visitors this year. The other foreign visitors to grab the limelight provided a deeply contrasting image. Australian Terry Shaw and his daughter Phoebe, who were among the first foreign visitors to touch down at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday, were garlanded and gifted a day’s free stay, including sightseeing.