Pokhara, March 16

External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj today met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the sidelines of ongoing 37th session of SAARC Council of Ministers’ in Pokhara.

According to the PM’s Chief Adviser Bishnu Rimal, the two leaders mainly dwelt on political matters and reconstruction issues during the ‘one-on-one’ meeting.

It is learnt that the Swaraj told PM Oli to expedite talks with the agitating Madhesi parties and find a concrete solution within a month.

Just prior to the meeting between PM Oli and Swaraj, a senior Indian diplomat told this daily that an early resolution was not far if both the sides the government and the Madhesi parties ironed out their differences.

It is learnt that the Indian side said it was closely watching the political development in Nepal and if the political mechanism set up under DPM Thapa to review the delineation of the federal boundaries get success or not.

The meeting was held following a late-night dinner reception organised in the honour of visiting SAARC foreign ministers at Hotel Shangri La in Pokhara. A source said PM Oli said the formation of political mechanism to review the federal borders would get full shape shortly.

Meanwhile, DPM Kamal Thapa and Swaraj also met and discussed issues regarding cooperation under the framework of SAARC, Nepal’s political situation, as well as reconstruction work.

Earlier, DPM Thapa also held separate meetings with Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hekmat Khalil Karzai and Bangladeshi Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahmood Ali.