Nepal PM Balendra Shah’s expected India visit offers chance to reshape bilateral ties
Kathmandu/New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s expected visit to India in the coming weeks could offer an opportunity for the two countries to establish a new bilateral framework, a report said. It noted that rather than treating it as another high-level interaction or a symbolic celebration of friendship, both sides should consider a phased five-year agenda built around six key priorities.
These included Himalayan disaster resilience; secure and humane border governance; youth skills, employment and educational exchanges; digital and financial connectivity; trade and transit facilitation; and faster implementation of existing agreements.
“The next chapter in India-Nepal relations should be built around a more practical question: can the two countries create institutions capable of protecting their citizens from insecurity, disasters, economic shocks and the pressures of a rapidly changing region? That question is particularly relevant as Nepal’s Prime Minister is expected to visit India in the coming weeks,” a report in India Narrative detailed.
“The visit would follow recent engagements involving Nepal’s Home Minister and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal’s emphasis on making bilateral economic relations more ambitious and implementation-oriented. The timing offers both countries an opportunity for a relationship facing new challenges,” it added.
India and Nepal are often regarded as close neighbours due to their shared geography, cultural traditions, religious ties and strong people-to-people connections. However, the defining aspect of their relationship today extends beyond these historical and cultural bonds to the everyday interdependence between the two countries, the report mentioned.
“People cross the border for employment, education, healthcare, trade and family obligations. Nepal depends significantly on access to Indian transport networks, markets and ports. India, in turn, benefits from economic links with Nepal, hydropower potential, regional connectivity and a stable Himalayan neighbourhood,” it stated.
The report noted that Sudhakar Dalela’s appointment as India’s next Ambassador to Nepal is particularly significant, as he brings with him valuable diplomatic experience, having previously served as India’s envoy to Bhutan.
“His Bhutan experience could be particularly useful in Nepal, although the two relationships are distinct and should not be treated as identical. Bhutan and Nepal have different political systems, economic structures, historical experiences and foreign-policy priorities. Yet Dalela’s work in Bhutan would have exposed him to several issues that are also relevant to India-Nepal relations: Himalayan geography, hydropower, environmental vulnerability, connectivity, development partnerships and the sensitivities of relations between a large neighbouring state and a smaller Himalayan country,” it mentioned.
According to the report, the traditional vocabulary used to describe India-Nepal relations — friendship, special ties, misunderstandings and interference — is no longer sufficient. The relationship, it said, needs a new framework centred on resilience, co-production, transparency and shared public goods.
“India and Nepal do not need to rediscover their historical closeness. They need to modernise the institutions that govern their interdependence. The success of the next phase will be determined by- whether a trader crosses the border more efficiently, whether a flood warning reaches a vulnerable village in time, whether electricity projects are delivered, and whether young people find more opportunities on both sides,” India Narrative mentioned.
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