Kathmandu, December 9 — Munu Mahawar, Additional Secretary (North) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, held talks with Interim Nepal Prime Minister Sushila Karki at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday. The meeting covered multiple facets of bilateral relations between India and Nepal.
Mahawar, who arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday, reviewed the status of India-funded projects in Nepal and discussed preparations for Nepal’s national election scheduled for March 2026. He affirmed India’s support for the electoral process and said New Delhi would continue to provide assistance across other areas.
Earlier in his visit, Mahawar met Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and pledged support for resources and security arrangements required for the elections. He also offered assistance for reconstruction efforts in Jajarkot following the earthquake, and for restoring and managing other disaster-damaged structures. During that meeting, Mahawar invited Minister Aryal to make an official visit to India.
Home Minister Aryal urged faster progress on the dry port under construction at Dodhara-Chandani in Kanchanpur and stressed the need to bolster the capacity of border security agencies. He called for enhanced information sharing and stronger measures to curb cross-border crime, theft, smuggling and other illicit activities.
On Monday evening, Mahawar attended the 3rd India-Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini, organized by the Embassy of India in Nepal in partnership with the Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University. Speaking at the event, he underscored the deep civilizational and cultural ties between the two countries and their shared reverence for Lord Buddha — born in Lumbini and who delivered his first sermon in Sarnath — as a lasting bond between India and Nepal.
