In the first high-level visit since the new government took office, Foreign Minister Misri will visit Nepal on 4-5

Foreign Minister Vikram Misri on November 2, 2026. (Photo Credit: X/@MEAINDIA)

Foreign Minister Vikram Misri will pay a two-day visit to Kathmandu on November 4 and 5, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday (November 2, 2026). It will be Mr Misri’s first visit to Nepal since Prime Minister Balendra Shah took over in March this year following elections held under a caretaker government. Mr Shah’s visit to India is understood to be part of the agenda to be discussed when Mr Misri meets officials in Kathmandu.

“The foreign minister’s upcoming visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will help further strengthen the comprehensive bilateral partnership,” the ministry said in a statement. Mr Misri’s visit to Kathmandu will be closely watched as it comes amid a raft of reforms being rolled out by the Nepalese government in the wake of the Gen-Z uprising.

Apart from Mr Shah’s visit to India, Mr Misri’s talks in Kathmandu are likely to include the appointment of Nepal’s new ambassador to Delhi. The Nepalese embassy has been without an ambassador for several months since the previous ambassador, Shankar Prasad Sharma, returned home. Nepalese diplomatic sources told The Hindu earlier that Kathmandu is awaiting agrément (diplomatic approval) for new envoy Nischal Nath Pandey to take charge of the embassy there. India’s continued assistance to the Bhote Koshi river disaster is also expected to be on the agenda.

Even as the ministry announced Mr Misri’s visit, a social association of ex-servicemen of the Indian Army protested in Kathmandu on Monday (November 2), demanding the resumption of Gurkha recruitment into the Indian Army. Since the Agnipath program was introduced by the Indian government, the recruitment of Gurkha soldiers remains suspended.

The Hindu had earlier reported that Mr Misri was expected to visit Nepal in May, but the visit was reportedly postponed as Mr Shah prioritized domestic challenges. Mr Shah’s visit to India, if it goes ahead, will be the first bilateral foreign visit by a leader who came to prominence during the Gen-Z uprising in September 2025 that toppled the government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Mr Misri had previously visited Kathmandu for two days in August 2025 and met Mr Oli.

In the last few months, India hosted Nepali Foreign Minister Sisir Khanal, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Home Minister Sudan Gurung who visited Delhi to attend the first meeting of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) held on 13 October 2026. India also hosted ruRSPRA Party Chairman SRURSPRALING RABLIYA Lamichhane in the first week of June when met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Lamichhane personally visited India last week to offer prayers at the pilgrimage centers at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand and Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati.

Mr Lamichhane described the visit as “personal and not political”. “There are no political meetings planned. As this is a personal visit, I urge people not to bring politics into it,” Mr Lamichhane said before the visit began.

Published – 02 Nov 2026 22:48 IST