Nepal

"This is a sudden visit and has no specific agendas on the part of Nepal. However, the US side may take up the issue of the State Partnership Program (SPP) in which the government of Nepal has already decided not to join, believing that the programme is an integral part of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy," the top official privy to the development told Indian Narrative requesting anonymity.

Prachanda had visited India at the invitation of BJP President J.P. Nadda. "Before leaving for New Delhi, I made it clear that I will keep national interest at core while talking with Indian leaders which I did. I am happy and my India visit has become more successful and fruitful than what I had thought," he said at Tribhuvan International Airport here on his return.

Prachanda, who is currently in New Delhi and has met Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval among others, made the remarks at an event organised by the Foundation for Public Awareness and Policy. He said that even after solving the problems between the two countries through diplomatic dialogue, there should be no delay in reviewing the treaty.

"PM Deuba told the Chinese leader that Nepal is not in a position to afford commercial Chinese loans for infrastructure building under the BRI because the national economy is already under stress due to several reasons including the depletion in foreign currency reserves. Therefore, Nepal wants only grant assistance from China in the coming days," Pariyar told India Narrative on Monday evening.

Liu is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties of Nepal, according to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Besides political party leaders, Liu, who holds a ministerial rank in the CCP, will be holding meetings with Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during the upcoming visit, media reports said.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at Baluwatar, the official residence of the prime minister, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Chandra Thapaliya and election commissioners recommended the date, a spokesperson for the commission Shaligram Sharma Poudel said.

But officials said that no decision has been made so far. Tourism Department Director Surya Prasad Upadhyaya said that the issue of relocation of Everest base camp is under discussion but no decision has taken so far. "There was some buzz about it but no decision has been taken and it is under consideration," Upadhyay told IANS.

Nepal wrote a letter first in 2015 and then again 2017 to join the SPP which was later included as part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy by the US Department of Defense in 2019. Since then, several debates and deliberations have taken place as to whether Nepal should join the SPP as Kathmandu has been saying that it will not join any military bloc or alliance.

Foreign policy analysts said that the upcoming elections will decide the fate of the Himalayan nation, which has gone through lengthy and complex transitions towards a new Constitution. The massive earthquake in April 2015 along with a series of devastating aftershocks caused loss of life, infrastructure and property on an unimaginable scale.

Tara Air's 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft carrying 19 passengers and three crew members, flying from Pokhara to Jomsom had lost contact on Sunday morning, minutes after it took off from Pokhara airport. "I am sad to hear that all passengers onboard in the Tara Air are dead," Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba tweeted on Monday afternoon as he offered condolences to the families of the deceased.