Kathmandu: Nepal Home Minister Bhim Bahadur
Rawal, who was scheduled to arrive in India on Tuesday, has put
off his visit in view of the current political situation in
his country.
Rawal was scheduled to visit to India to discuss with his
Indian counterpart issues pertaining to security, tackling
cross-border crimes and finalising the bilateral extradition
treaty.
Home Secretary Govinda Kusum and chiefs of all three
security agencies were to accompany him on his two-day visit.
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"The visit has been put off due to the current political
situation in Nepal," Home Minister's personal secretariat
said.
During the recently concluded bilateral talks between the
Home Secretaries of the two sides, India and Nepal had agreed
to increase cooperation in tackling cross border crime, but
fell short of finalising the Nepal-India Extradition Treaty.
A political deadlock continues in Nepal due to a
prolonged confrontation between the Nepalese government and
the Maoists, who have been blocking the Parliament for four
months and obstructing the budget for the current fiscal year.
The government is witnessing a financial crunch, and is
unable to pay salaries to the government staff and ministers
as the budget has not been endorsed by the Parliament.
The Maoists have been agitating against President Ram
Baran Yadav's move to reinstate the Army chief who was sacked
by the Maoist-led government, prompting the then Prime
Minister Prachanda to quit office.
The Maoists have been protesting against the present
government, demanding restoration of "civilian supremacy" and
formation of a Maoist-led unity government.
In New Delhi, the Home Ministers were expected to give
final touches to the Nepal-India Extradition Treaty.
India had recently expressed concern over cross border
smuggling of fake currency, and the two sides agreed to step
up cooperation on the border during their Home Secretary-level
talks in Nepal last week.
Bureau Report