Kathmandu, July 23: Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah reportedly sent his chief advisor, Kumar Byanjankar (Ben), to New Delhi earlier this month. There, he allegedly met with India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, according to local media reports from Kathmandu.
Byanjankar is one of Prime Minister Shah’s most trusted advisors. He has been closely associated with Shah since his tenure as the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Local news portal Setopati.com cited a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claiming that Byanjankar met NSA Doval in New Delhi during the first week of July. However, the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not officially informed about this trip.
Reports indicate that Rabi Lamichhane, president of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was aware of Ben’s confidential visit to Delhi. When some senior party leaders inquired about the meeting, Lamichhane reportedly stated that Byanjankar had informed him prior to the trip.
The alleged face-to-face meeting between Byanjankar and NSA Doval comes at a time when Prime Minister Shah is avoiding direct meetings with foreign diplomats. He has expressed a desire to adhere to diplomatic protocols and procedures.
Previous governments have faced criticism for allowing various individuals, from foreign ambassadors to lower-level diplomatic staff, to meet the Prime Minister without the presence of Ministry officials. This has led Prime Minister Shah to exercise caution regarding solo meetings with foreign diplomats.
However, another major Nepalese newspaper, The Kathmandu Post, reported that Ben has consistently denied these claims. He asserts that he neither traveled to India nor met with any senior Indian government officials.
Earlier, the proposed visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Nepal was canceled due to Prime Minister Shah’s alleged reluctance.
Although Prime Minister Shah has received an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India, uncertainty remains about the timing of this trip. Initially, there were hopes that it would occur soon.
Nepal is situated between two major neighbors, India and China, which presents the challenge of maintaining balanced relations with both countries, while also managing its relationship with the United States.
Meanwhile, local media reports suggest that Prime Minister Shah is preparing to meet separately with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming.
In a departure from Nepal’s traditional diplomatic practices, Prime Minister Shah has refused to meet foreign ambassadors individually since taking office. Instead, he has opted for collective meetings with ambassadors from various countries in Kathmandu on April 9 and May 26.
This approach has been praised by several Nepalese diplomats, although some have questioned whether maintaining equal distance from all nations will ultimately serve Nepal’s national interests in the long run.
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