The proposed visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Kathmandu has been postponed, a top government official told the Post. He was scheduled to land in Kathmandu for a two-day visit on May 11.

New Delhi had decided to send its foreign secretary to engage with the new government and understand its priorities. The visit was expected to chart the future course of bilateral ties.

Citing Misri’s other commitments, the Indian side informed Nepal that the trip had been postponed, at least for now, according to multiple government officials who did not want to be named because he is not authorised to speak with the media, adding that the southern neighbour had not given an exact reason for the postponement.

Foreign Ministry officials, privy to the development, give two possible reasons for the postponement. First, Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s refusal to meet the Indian foreign secretary, ignoring repeated requests. Second, the recent dispute between Nepal and India over the Lipulekh trijunction. The Shah administration took serious objection to the decision of India and China to resume Hindu devotees’ pilgrimage to Mansarovar in Tibet from the disputed area.

In the last week of April, the Indian side had communicated that, as per the understanding between Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar in Mauritius, they intended to send Misri to Kathmandu. India had sought confirmation from the Nepali side for the proposed visit on May 11 and 12.

In response, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai sent a formal invitation to Misri, while the Foreign Ministry began groundwork for his visit. Misri was also expected to hand over an invitation to Prime Minister Shah for an India visit.

Foreign Minister Khanal had already announced that Shah had accepted Modi’s invitation and that the two foreign ministries would lay the groundwork for his visit during his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar.

Though neither side had officially announced the visit, preparations were in full swing in both Kathmandu and New Delhi.

According to informed sources at the Foreign Ministry, even during a farewell call by Nepal’s outgoing ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma, Misri had told him that his visit to Nepal was on track and that he looked forward to travelling to Kathmandu with renewed enthusiasm.

Shah has been refraining from meeting any foreign officials or leaders below the rank of foreign minister or prime minister. Ignoring the Americans’ request, he had earlier refused to meet US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor—who is also the US ambassador to India.

He decided to maintain the same policy during Misri’s visit. According to foreign ministry officials, Shah has not heeded Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Foreign Minister Khanal’s request to meet senior officials from India, China and the US to maintain cordial relations with those who have helped and supported Nepal for decades.

Prime Minister Shah who is adamant over not After India and China decided to resume the pilgrimage via Lipulekh, a territory that Nepal has been claiming of its own, the government had protested with both neighbours and shot off the separate diplomatic notes to both neighbours.

Expressing reservation over Nepal’s diplomatic note, the Indian government claimed over the territory but was open for dialogue and talks with Nepal.

Though the visit of Indian foreign secretary to Kathmandu has been postponed but the visit of foreign minister Khanal to New Delhi is on, said the diplomatic sources, the Indian side has invited minister Khanal to attend the first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit 2026 on June 1.

Already, Khanal and his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar held talks in Mauritius during the ninth Indian Ocean Conference and discussed finalisation of projects and programmes in line with Nepal’s priorities before commencing high-level visits in the future.

During the meeting with Khanal, Jaishankar proposed sending Misri to Kathmandu to understand the priorities of the new government so that some concrete outcome could be achieved during the upcoming visits to India by Khanal and Prime Minister Shah.

According to one senior foreign ministry official, after returning from Mauritius, Khanal had held one—on—one meeting with ministers, took the update them about the state and status of India funded projects in Nepal and what could be the possible areas of cooperation for the future.

Foreign Minister Khanal has been consulting ministers and taking stock of the status of various Indian-funded projects in Nepal, their progress, obstacles, and potential areas for new cooperation, said foreign ministry officials.

During the meeting between Khanal and Jaishankar in Mauritius, they had also agreed to activate all bilateral mechanisms, focusing on priorities set by the two countries and exploring new avenues of cooperation before convening high-level visits and meetings, including at the prime ministerial and foreign minister levels.

Some meetings of those mechanisms were held and some are in the pipeline, said officials.

After the formation of a new government in Kathmandu, barring exceptional cases, there is a tradition of Nepal’s prime ministers making India their first foreign stop.

India and Nepal have almost three dozen mechanisms, ranging from the district to the foreign minister level, covering security, water resources, irrigation, border management, boundary issues, trade, commerce, and agriculture, among others. Some meetings of these mechanisms take place regularly, while others have been pending for years.

Similarly, dozens of projects and programmes are currently being implemented in Nepal with Indian economic and technical assistance at different stages of completion.

Nepal and India have a number of mechanisms, as well as many projects and programmes, which the present government believes need to be streamlined while also exploring new avenues.

Government officials are tight-lipped about the reason for the postponement of the visit, but unofficially, they stated that Prime Minister Balendra Shah's refusal to meet the Indian foreign secretary, despite repeated requests from them, is the sole reason.

Second, according to knowledgeable sources, the recent dispute between Nepal and India over the Lipulekh border has been another source of discontent and has also led to the postponement of the visit.

In the fourth week of April, the Indian side had communicated that, as per the understanding between Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar in Mauritius, they intended to send Misri to Kathmandu and had sought confirmation from the Nepali side. The date for the visit was proposed for May 11 and 12.

Following the communication from the Indian side, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai has sent a formal invitation to Misri, and the Foreign Ministry has begun groundwork for his visit. It was also expected that during the visit, the Indian foreign secretary would hand over an invitation to Prime Minister Shah to visit India.

Foreign Minister Khanal already announced that Prime Minister Shah had accepted Modi's invitation and that the two foreign ministries would lay the groundwork for his visit during his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar.

Though both sides had not officially announced the visit, preparations were taken in a full swing in both Kathmandu and New Delhi.

Even during a farewell call by outgoing Nepali ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma in New Delhi last Friday, Misri told him that his Nepal visit is very much on and he will travel to visit Kathmandu with renewed excitement.