Kathmandu: As India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid begins his first visit to Nepal Tuesday, political leaders and diplomats in Kathmandu expect that the trip will help the country overcome the long political stalemate it is facing.
The visit, announced earlier as a two-day one, has been trimmed for a day only. Khurshid will arrive Tuesday morning in Kathmandu and will return to New Delhi in the evening.
The current peace process, elections to the Constituent Assembly and drafting a constitution were the results of a New Delhi-backed 12-point agreement in 2005, an instrument that subsequently released Nepal from a century-old monarchy and later declared the Himalayan nation as a secular, federal and republic country.
Since the signing of the agreement in New Delhi in 2005, India has constantly said it wants to see political stability, economic progress and a prosperous Nepal.
“Nepal-India relations are unique,” Nepal’s former foreign minister Upendra Yadav told IANS.
“At a time when Nepal is struggling to come out from the protracted political transition, Khurshid’s visit would help us overcome remaining difficulties of the peace and constitution drafting processes,” Yadav said.
Yadav was deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs during 2008-09 when Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” was prime minister.
During his trip to Kathmandu, Khurshid will be meeting President Ram Baran Yadav, chairman of the Interim Elections Council Khil Raj Regmi, and leaders of major political parties.
Nepal will hold elections to the Constituent Assembly Nov 19.(IANS)
