On his way to Bhutan, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh had an ‘‘informal’’, ‘‘unscheduled’’ meeting with his Nepalese counterpart Rameshnath Pande during a transit stop at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.According to official sources, the meeting that took place two days ago at the VIP lounge happened at the behest of the Nepalese side. It comes at a time when the seven-party alliance there has decided to boycott parliamentary elections, which King Gyanendra plans to hold by April 2007.India has avoided any comment on the elections but New Delhi took serious note of the King’s new ordinance imposing additional curbs on the media, saying that it would be counter-productive.Later, Pande said in Kathmandu that the interaction has helped strengthen mutual relationship between the two countries and was a continuation of his talks with Singh in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The Indian Mission in Kathmandu said it was a courtesy meeting.
