R&AW chief’s meeting with Nepal PM sparks criticism

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has come under fire for breaching diplomatic norms by meeting India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Kumar Goel at his official residence at Baluwatar on Wednesday evening. Goel's visit came ahead of the upcoming official trip of Indian Army chief Gen. M M Naravane to visit Nepal in November. The Indian intelligence chief’s visit did not go down well with some political leaders of the country, including members of the ruling party Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Senior leaders said that the meeting did not serve Nepal’s national interest and threatened its security. The ties between the two countries came under strain when Nepal protested the inauguration of an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.