Before wrapping up his 26-hour visit to Kathmandu, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a meaningful remark in Kirtipur on Friday while inaugurating the Tribhuvan University’s new library building, which was funded by the government of India. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, the government of India is committed to continue to...
The seventh edition of the Nepal-India joint commission at foreign minister level is all set to convene in Kathmandu on Thursday. Foreign Minister NP Saud and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar will co-chair the meeting, where the two sides will discuss over three dozen different agendas and issues of mutual interest and concern. At the...
2023 has been an interesting time for Nepali diplomacy. After the end of the Covid pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war raged. Global affairs have been more troubled with the addition of the Israel-Hamas conflict. As Nepalis have been directly involved in both theatres, Nepal’s foreign outreach is strained. Nepal has much to do to secure the...
The government has agreed to accept an Indian proposal to increase the budget for ‘small development projects’ to be implemented by local units from the current Rs50 million to Rs200 million. The Indian side had initially proposed to jack up the budget to Rs240 million, but the Ministry of Finance had scaled it down by...
KP Oli is out on the street protesting as he cannot be in the seat of power in Singhadurbar. A big reason for the desperation of the leader of the opposition is his dismal standing with the south. Starting with Matrika Prasad Koirala, the first post-Rana prime minister, Nepali heads of government have all internalised...
Almost six months after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India, the status of progress and follow-up to the agreements reached during the four-day official trip are dismal, said lawmakers and foreign policy experts. During a roundtable discussion on Friday organised by the Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF), Raj Kishor Yadav, the...
Since the second half of the twentieth century, Nepal’s foreign policy has predominantly revolved around India and China, against the backdrop of India’s independence in 1947 and China’s takeover of Tibet in 1950. The policy focused on safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity in addition to achieving economic wellbeing and prosperity, and has not seen much...
Amid escalating tensions and changing political environment in Asia, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, is scheduled to visit China on September 23. This will be his second foreign trip after assuming charge as the country’s prime minister in December 2022. Unlike 2008, when Prachanda chose Beijing as his first foreign...
Summary Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who ascended to power on 25 December 2022, faces an arduous task of maintaining cordial ties with the big powers, particularly India, the United States and China. After returning to power, Dahal’s first foreign visit to New Delhi from 31 May to 3 June 2023 indicated Kathmandu’s preference....
ntroductionIn June 2022, India introduced the Agnipath scheme to reform the recruitment and retirement mechanisms of its armed forces. Under the policy, youth between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years will be recruited to the armed forces for four years of service. The scheme aims to improve the Indian military’s battle preparedness through merit-based...