External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna will undertake a three-day visit to Nepal next week, amid a political deadlock that has stalled the progress in the peace process and hindered the drafting of a new constitution by next month’s deadline.
The visit, expected to begin on April 20, will be the first by an Indian minister since Jhalanath Khanal took over as Prime Minister on February 3.
Mr. Krishna’s visit is being considered as significant as it comes at a time when Nepal’s coalition government is horn-locked over the issue of Cabinet expansion.
The disagreement between the coalition partners CPN-Maoists and CPN-UML has caused a major delay in the expansion of the Cabinet and the country appears headed towards a political crisis with uncertainty surrounding the drafting of a new constitution, the deadline for which expires on May 28.
During the visit, the External Affairs Minister will meet Prime Minister Khanal and senior leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, highly placed sources said.
However, the details of the visit are yet to be worked out.
