Stalled projects, talks may get moving as President Pranab Mukherjee heads to Nepal

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee’s upcoming threeday Nepal visit will cover Kathmandu and four towns including the pilgrimage sites Lumbini and Janakpur, the latter a key Madheshi stronghold.

The proposed trip, which starts on November 2, will be the first state visit by an Indian president to the Himalayan nation after KR Narayanan toured the country in 1997.

According to persons familiar with the development, Mukherjee, an experienced statesman, will impress upon politicians from the hilly region as well as those in the southern Madhesh (which borders India) to work out a durable formula to accommodate the political aspirations of all sections of the Nepali people, during his trip.

Besides Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and Janakpur, Mukherjee will visit Pokhara and Dhulikhel. He is expected to visit some religious, cultural, historic and tourist places located in these four municipalities.

High-level visits have marked bilateral ties since PK Dahal Prachanda replaced KP Oli as Nepal’s prime minister.

Prachanda visited India twice in last one month— first on a state visit and then for the BIMSTEC-BRICS meet in Goa.

Mukherjee’s visit could help create conducive environment to expedite implementation of various stalled projects between the two countries and, more importantly, bridge the gap between the hills and terai region.