Senior Indian official meets Nepal home minister, assures election assistance

Kathmandu, Dec 9 (PTI) Senior Indian official Munu Mahawar on Tuesday met with Nepal Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal here and conveyed India's commitment to assist in the smooth conduct of the March 5 general election in the Himalayan nation.

Mahawar, an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), is on a four-day visit to Nepal to review its election preparations and assess progress in India-funded development projects.

During his meeting with Aryal, Mahawar underscored the need to ensure the availability of necessary resources and equipment for the upcoming polls, home ministry officials here said.

He conveyed India's commitment to provide full support to Nepal in the smooth conduct of the general election.

Mahawar also conveyed India's readiness to assist in post-earthquake reconstruction in Jajarkot, which was struck by a major quake in 2023, and in restoring infrastructure damaged by recent disasters.

He invited Aryal to visit India at a mutually convenient time, according to the state-run daily The Rising Nepal.

Aryal thanked India for its continued cooperation.

He emphasised the need for enhancing the capacity of security agencies on both sides of the border and improving information-sharing to curb theft, robbery, illegal trade and other cross-border criminal activities.

Mahawar, who arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday, is the senior-most Indian official to visit Nepal since the Gen Z uprising in September, which led to the ouster of the prime minister K P Sharma Oli-led government. PTI SBP SCY SCY SCY