Why did Nepal’s Foreign Minister cancel his visit to India? Had a desire to meet PM Modi!

New Delhi: Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal’s visit to India has been canceled for the time being. Due to this, important bilateral talks between the two countries have come to a halt. This visit has been postponed at a time when high-level discussions were to be held on border disputes and trade agreements.

Recently, Nepal had expressed strong objection to India’s decision to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Lipulekh Pass. This issue has increased the tension in the relations between the two countries. For this reason, Shishir Khanal’s visit to India and before that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Nepal were also postponed.

Program changed due to postponement of IBCA summit   

According to media reports, Shishir Khanal was invited by the Government of India to the first International Big Cat Alliance Summit to be held in New Delhi on June 1. But India has just postponed this conference. Representatives from many African countries were expected to attend the conference. Sources say that it has been postponed due to the outbreak of Ebola in Africa. However, there is no mention of Ebola in the official statement.

Had met Jaishankar in Mauritius   

There is a change in the relations between India and Nepal after the formation of the new government in Nepal under the leadership of Balen Shah. Meanwhile, Shishir Khanal participated in the 9th Indian Ocean Conference held in Port Louis, Mauritius from 10 to 12 April 2026. During this conference, he also had bilateral talks with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This was considered an attempt to improve relations between the two countries.

Had a desire to meet PM Modi  

Nepali officials had requested a meeting with PM Narendra Modi, S Jaishankar and Piyush Goyal, Kathmandu Post reported. There were also plans to meet some of the heads of state and ministers coming to the IBCA summit. An official said that if the visit had taken place, the talks with Mauritius would have been taken forward. But this is not possible right now.

Why was Vikram Misri’s tour postponed?   

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was scheduled to visit Nepal on a two-day visit on 11 and 12 May 2026. Its objective was to understand the priorities of the new government of Nepal and to prepare an outline for the possible visit of PM Balen Shah to India. But it was canceled at the last moment. Three big reasons are believed to be behind this.

The first reason is Nepal’s tough stance on Lipulekh and border disputes. Just before the tour, Nepal had sent letters of protest to both India and China regarding the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route. Nepal claims that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are its part.

The second reason is the strict protocol of PM Balen Shah. He has said that he will not meet any official below the level of Foreign Minister. Under this policy, he also refused to meet the Indian Ambassador and the special envoy of the US President. According to reports, Misri also could not be met.

The third reason is the imposition of new custom duty by Nepal on the border. This has affected the daily business of millions of people living on the border and has increased concern in New Delhi.