Another Nepal envoy to India

With India not changing its tough position on Nepal, King Gyanendra has sent his emissary here to work for clearing the logjam in bilateral relations.

Field Marshal Meen Bahadur Rana is expected to meet officials in the ministries of external affairs and home as part of Kathmandu's efforts to persuade India to soften its stand, sources said here today.

Significantly, Chairman of Nepal's State Council Parashu Narayan Chaudhary has also arrived here. Although the visit is being dubbed as a "private" affair, it is expected that he may meet some officials in the government here.

The visits come barely four days after India's ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, returned to Kathmandu after holding "consultations" with the government.

India has maintained that its policy on Nepal remained unchanged despite release of some political prisoners by King Gyanendra's government.

New Delhi maintains that nothing short of complete restoration of democratic processes in the Himalayan kingdom will be acceptable to it.

India has also indicated to the king that it will not bail out his government during the upcoming meeting of the UN Rights Commission in Geneva.

Meanwhile in Kathmandu, the king's anti-corruption commission has summoned 21 people, mostly political leaders, in connection with the alleged embezzlement of government funds.

The Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC), formed after the February 1 takeover by King Gyanendra, will grill the 21 individuals who allegedly received cash from Prime Minister's Relief Fund as festival allowance in october last year during the tenure of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Earlier, the commission had questioned six ministers of the sacked Deuba government in connection with the release of Rs 2.5 million from the prime minister's relief fund. They were later released on bail.

The 21 individuals, received the money as festival allowance as per the recommendations of the then six ministers, according to the state-run national news agency.

The six were Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, Agriculture Minister Homnath Dahal, Land Reform Minister Jog Meher Shrestha, Local Development Minister Yuvraj Gyawali, Information and Communication minister Mohammad Mohsin and Forest Minister Badri Mandal. They are due to appear again before the commission on March 31.

The RCCC has the authority to confiscate property, award jail term and levy fine if the accused is found guilty.