Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal's visit to India has been postponed. At the invitation of the Indian government, Minister Khanal was scheduled to attend the first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit to be held in New Delhi on 18 Jestha. However, after the Indian government postponed the conference itself, Minister Khanal's visit was also postponed.

Amid the ups and downs in Nepal-India relations in recent months, the visit was seen as an opportunity to discuss key bilateral issues with the Indian leadership. Khanal had met his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar in Mauritius on 17 Chaitra. They discussed the issue of prioritizing bilateral relations in the changed political environment after the formation of a powerful government in Nepal under the leadership of senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Balendra Shah.

The Indian government has postponed the IBCA conference, which was to be attended by representatives of various African countries. There is currently an Ebola outbreak in some parts of Africa. However, India has not mentioned the Ebola outbreak as the official reason for postponing the conference.

In a statement issued by India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Friday, it was said, "This event was being organized along with the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-4). Since it was decided to hold it after IAFS-4 after consultations with the Chairperson of the African Union and the African Union Commission, the IBCA Summit has also been postponed to ensure broad participation of all member states." The statement said that a new date for the summit will be announced after consulting the participating countries and stakeholders.

According to officials familiar with the preparations for Khanal's visit, the Nepali side had requested a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, among others. Efforts were also being made to meet various heads of state, heads of government and ministers participating in the summit. "Had the visit taken place, this would have been a continuation of the Mauritius meeting," said an official, "but that was not immediately possible."

In the meeting in Mauritius, Khanal and Jayashkar had agreed to prioritize relations by activating bilateral mechanisms. Jaishankar had informed that preparations were being made to send Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Kathmandu. The date of the visit had also been exchanged, and preparations were in full swing in Kathmandu and New Delhi. However, Misri's visit to Nepal was postponed after Nepal sent diplomatic notes to both India and China expressing its dissatisfaction over the decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via its territory Lipulekh.

However, Nepali officials in Nepal and India have said that informal dialogue and contact are ongoing at various levels between Kathmandu and New Delhi. If the visit had taken place, Khanal had prepared to extend an invitation to Jaishankar to visit Nepal. According to informed sources, the agenda included the construction of the Janakpur-Ayodhya railway, the construction of the East-West railway with Indian assistance, and the demand for additional air access routes for the operation of Pokhara and Bhairahawa international airports.

The meeting with Goyal was expected to discuss the expansion of the petroleum pipeline, the lifting of India's ban on sugar exports to Nepal, and the cross-border QR payment system, which has not yet been implemented despite an agreement.