India postpones Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s Nepal visit

The proposed visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Kathmandu has been postponed for now reports Kathmandu Post.

Misri was expected to undertake a two-day visit to engage with the newly formed government led by Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and discuss the future course of bilateral ties.

The development has triggered speculation over the current state of India-Nepal relations, with reports pointing to Nepal’s Prime Minister Shah’s reported reluctance to meet visiting foreign officials below the rank of foreign minister and recent tensions over the Lipulekh boundary issue.

The visit was also intended as a follow-up to discussions between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal held in April on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius.

During the proposed trip, Misri was expected to call on Nepal Prime Minister Shah and formally invite him to visit India.

Meanwhile, India has invited all IBCA member states, including Nepal, to the June 1 summit in New Delhi.

Earlier, on Friday, Nepal said it is committed to resolving the border issue with India through diplomatic channels.

“We have already made public our views regarding Lipulekh. We have also expressed our view regarding the proposed Kailash Mansarovar journey between India and China via Nepalese territory, Lipulekh,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said.
Nepal has expressed its readiness to resolve the matter in line with the spirit of the close and friendly relations shared with India, Chhetri said.

His comments came days after India firmly rejected the Himalayan nation’s objection to the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via the long-established Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, dismissing Kathmandu’s territorial claims over the region as an “unilateral artificial enlargement” that New Delhi finds “untenable.”

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New Delhi’s sharp reaction came after the Nepalese foreign ministry objected to preparations by India and China for the annual pilgrimage via Lipulekh Pass, claiming the region belongs to it.

(With agency input)