India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in this lake resort town in Nepal yesterday to attend the Saarc ministerial meeting.
She will participate in the ministerial meeting in Pokhara today and meet her counterparts from the region.
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will inaugurate the ministerial meeting.
Sushma Swaraj is expected to hold talks with Oli and other regional counterparts including Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to the Pakistan prime minister, on the sidelines of the meeting, diplomatic sources said.
However, both India and Pakistan were not forthcoming about the exact time of the meeting.
Sushma Swaraj was to attend a reception hosted by her Nepali counterpart Kamal Thapa yesterday, where she is also expected
to meet Aziz, said sources.
On Tuesday, Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar met the agitating Madhesi leaders in Kathmandu in connection with their dialogue with the Nepal government.
Madhesi leader Raj Kishor Yadav said Jaishankar inquired about the progress made in talks between the Nepal government and the agitating Madhesi groups.
Talks between the government and Madhesi leaders remains in limbo since they have rejected the political mechanism formed to re-address the demarcation of the seven-province model. They are seeking a review of the
demarcation.