Indian PM Modi interested in religious visit to Nepal 

KATHMANDU: During an official visit to India on Friday, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Foreign Minister Deuba held a 45-minute meeting with PM Modi on Friday evening, during which Modi responded positively to the invitation, according to officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nepal’s acting ambassador to India, Surendra Thapa, was also present at the meeting.

An official from the Embassy of Nepal in Delhi mentioned that PM Modi had initially planned to visit Nepal last month, but the visit was postponed due to the recent elections in India.

“It is likely that PM Modi will visit Nepal soon,” the official stated.

High-level officials at the Ministry have indicated that PM Oli will visit India only after PM Modi’s visit to Nepal.

So far, PM Modi has not extended an invitation to PM Oli to visit India.

In this context, PM Modi’s visit to Nepal is expected to be of a religious nature.

Meanwhile, PM Oli is scheduled to embark on an official visit to Thailand next month to attend the sixth Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), tentatively set for September 4 and 5.

This will mark PM Oli’s first foreign trip of his fourth term, provided no other international engagements occur before then.

Despite the open borders and long-standing bilateral relations between Nepal and India, the relationship has been strained since India imposed a border blockade on Nepal in 2015 (2072 BS).

This was further complicated by a border dispute over the Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani areas, which Nepal included in its new map recently, causing dissatisfaction on India’s part.

Additionally, the previous coalition government in Nepal broke apart after outgoing Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal began talks with the Nepali Congress following his visit to India.

This led to the formation of a new government with UML joining forces with the Nepali Congress.