Indian Foreign Secretary Misri to visit Kathmandu ahead of PM Shah’s India trip

Kathmandu, Oct 29: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to visit Kathmandu for three days from November 4 to prepare for Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s upcoming visit to India, according to sources in Kathmandu and New Delhi.

Shah is expected to make his first official visit to New Delhi on November 22 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During Misri’s visit, officials from the two countries are expected to discuss the agenda for Shah’s trip.

Misri is scheduled to return to New Delhi on November 6 after meeting Nepali ministers and government officials. It remains unclear whether he will meet Shah during his stay.

Although neither side has officially announced Misri’s visit, preparations for the prime minister’s proposed trip to India are reportedly underway in both capitals.

On Wednesday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Modi had invited Shah to visit India after the Nepali prime minister assumed office on March 27.

India’s newly appointed ambassador to Nepal, Sudhakar Dalela, is also scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on November 3, a day before Misri’s arrival.

New Delhi had initially planned to send Misri to Kathmandu in the second week of May to engage with the new government formed by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). However, the proposed visit was postponed, reportedly due to protocol-related issues.