Three is a crowd

The interest of big powers in Nepal is increasing, and this is not something to be celebrated.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra touched down in Kathmandu on Monday soon after a pair of high-ranking American officials came calling—and on the same day that a third US official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afreen Akhter, arrived. Earlier, US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and USAID Administrator Samantha Power were in town to take stock of ground realities following the formation of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government on December 26. And now comes Kwatra, who is likely to extend an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dahal to visit New Delhi soon. Reportedly, starting mid-March, a slew of high-level visits from China are also on the cards. The high frequency of these trips suggests these three big powers see events in Kathmandu in a state of flux, and want to shape things here to their advantage.