Nepal Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey made little headway with India on Monday as he sought to soften New Delhi’s stand on King Gyanendra’s move last month. India stuck to its stand, objecting to restrictions on Indian companies and news channels.It is learnt that United Telecom Ltd., which has an investment of about (Nepali) Rs 300 crore, is finding it difficult to sustain operations after Kathmandu imposed restrictions on its functioning. Several others including ITC Surya Nepal and RP Strips are also facing similar difficulties.External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh told Pandey that restrictions on Indian entities must be lifted ‘‘at the earliest’’ in the interest of India-Nepal friendship. New Delhi also took strong exception to the blocking of Indian news channels while a few foreign news networks were being allowed to air.Pandey did not commit to a timeframe but said measures including detention of political party leaders and restrictions on media would be ‘‘shortly amended’’. Pandey is said to have placed ‘‘peace and stability’’ as the primary objectives and called for New Delhi’s support for the new dispensation in Kathmandu in its battle against the Maoist extremists.Meanwhile, the owner of one of the largest publishing houses in Nepal, Kanak Mani Dixit, is believed to have been arrested by the Nepalese authorities in Kathmandu on Mondayevening.
