Nepal PM to visit India soon; Prachanda's first foreign trip after polls

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has said that he will visit India soon on his first foreign trip after assuming the top executive post of the country for the third time.

The 68-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre leader was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the third time on December 26 last year after he dramatically walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader K P Sharma Oli.

I will be visiting India soon, Prachanda told senior editors on Saturday during his first interaction with select journalists after winning the vote of confidence on Tuesday. He said that preparations are going on at the diplomatic level for the same.

The concerned embassies are making preparations for my visit, he told the journalists at Baluwatar, the official residence of the Prime Minister. However, the Nepal government is yet to officially announce the Prime Minister's visit to India.

The date and itinerary of the visit are yet to be finalised.

We are working towards finalising the date and detailed programmes as well as the agenda of the visit in coordination with our counterparts," an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"Visiting a neighbouring country by the Prime Minister after assuming the position is a normal process and internally we are always prepared for that, the official added.

Prachanda had also paid official visits to India during his earlier tenures as the Prime Minister of Nepal.

In July last year, Prachanda visited India at the invitation of BJP President J P Nadda.