KATHMANDU: KP Sharma Oli, the Chairman of the ruling CPN-UML, notably remained absent from the inaugural session of the third Nepal Investment Summit 2024 that commenced on Sunday.

The government, placing significant emphasis on this conference, scheduled after the formation of a new alliance, involving five parties including UML and Maoist Center, had extended invitations to various countries and donors to participate.

While the main opposition Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba engaged in the Summit, addressing its opening session and urging donor countries and agencies to invest in Nepal, Oli found himself in Godavari, Lalitpur, as the conference kicked off at Hotel Soltee at 8 am.

Interestingly, the day prior, Oli attended the opening ceremony of the 12-year Mahakumbha Mela in Barahkshetra, Sunsari, before returning to Kathmandu and opting for Godavari over the Investment Summit.

Notably, at 10:30 am on Sunday, a Bangladeshi professor, purportedly the world’s youngest, was scheduled to participate in a program at Godavari.

Oli’s secretariat clarified that his absence stemmed from a prior engagement.

Scheduled as the chief guest at the Sunrise Hall in Godavari, Oli engaged in a dialogue with Professor Suvarno Izakari, touted as the world’s youngest professor.

Ram Sharan Bajgai, Oli’s press advisor, affirmed this, stating, “He went to Godavari for an interaction with the world’s youngest professor. After his return, he will attend the Investment Summit. His absence from the opening session was not due to reluctance; rather, a pre-planned commitment dictates his schedule.”