Nepal PM to visit India from Feb 19

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 12

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will pay an official visit to India from February 19 to 24. This will also be Oli’s first foreign visit since taking over as the PM in October.

India has traditionally been the first overseas stop for Nepalese prime ministers but given the tensions of late between India and Nepal, there was speculation that Oli might choose to visit China first.

In a positive step, the blockade on the India-Nepal border, after almost six months, seems to be over and the opening of the key Nepal-India border point at Raxaul-Birgunj, which sees over 70 per cent of the total bilateral trade, was an indication that things are slowly limping back to normalcy.

The customary conferment of the rank of honorary General of the Indian Army upon Nepal Army's chief General Rajendra Chhetri was another such positive indication.

These positive indications apart, Oli’s visit comes at a time when India-Nepal relations are under a severe strain. Nepal unofficially accused India of causing the blockade on the border, which led to a severe shortage of fuel and medicines in Nepal.

India also went on record to express its unhappiness over the new constitution promulgated by Nepal since it felt that the rights of the Madehsis were not protected under the new constitution.

Nepal, on its part, felt India was interfering in its internal affairs. The goodwill built by India with her generous assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake in April last year was quickly lost with India’s public unhappiness over the new Nepalese constitution and the blockade later.

During Oli’s visit here, both sides will lay emphasis on mending the bilateral relationship. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was in Kathmandu Tuesday to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had met with Oli and conveyed the fact that India looked forward to welcoming him.

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Pact on mechanism for delineation

Kathmandu: Nepal’s three major parties and the agitating Madhesi front on Friday reached an agreement to form a political mechanism to resolve delineation of provinces under the federal structure of the new Constitution that divides the minority's homeland. The mechanism is likely to forge understanding on settling the state demarcation row within three months. — PTI