India, Nepal sign eight pacts

India and Nepal signed eight pacts on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-assured Nepalese Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba of New Delhi’s support to the neighbouring country’s pursuit for development.

“India is fully committed to extend cooperation to Nepal in its pursuit for development in keeping with the priorities of people and the government of Nepal,” Modi said after a meeting with Deuba.

Modi also stressed on greater cooperation among the defence and security agencies of India and Nepal. Deuba said Nepal will never allow any activity from its territory against India.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar later told mediapersons that India, too, renewed its “continuing commitment” to provide training to personnel of the security forces of Nepal. Deuba is the first foreign head of a government to visit New Delhi after the soldiers of India and China got into a face-off at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.

Nepal is among the South Asian nations, where China has been trying to challenge the traditional geopolitical influence of India. Deuba joined Modi on Thursday to remotely launch two cross-border power transmission lines Kataiya-Kusaha and Raxaul-Parwanipur between India and Nepal. The two leaders discussed a number of infrastructure projects to be funded by India in Nepal, including building roads, hydro-electric power plant, and petroleum and natural gas pipelines, Jaishankar said.

Deuba conveyed to Modi that his government would continue its effort to amend the Constitution of Nepal to address the concerns of Madhesis.