Nepalese foreign affairs experts on Monday said that the recent visit of Indian Foreign Minister K Natwar Singh showed India’s realization of the Maoists insurgency in Nepal as a ‘common threat’ in the region.

Nepal’s envoy to India, Karna Dhoj Adhilkari, said the escalation of Maoist activities during the last two years in Nepal has drawn India’s attention. “India regards the Nepali Maoist activities as a regional threat,” he said.

Citing the assassinations of Indian leaders in the past, foreign affairs expert Hiranya Lal Shrestha said, ‘the present Indian government seems to be serious on the issue.”

Speaking at a press meet organized by the Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu, in which various Nepal-India issues were discussed, Shrestha also appealed to India to stick to the international norms while constructing dams along the Indo-Nepal border. He highlighted Singh’s visit as ’important in various perspectives’.

Yadav Kant Silwal, former SAARC General Secretary opined that it would be too soon to predict any implications of the visit. He stressed in ‘equitable benefits’ while initiating any hydro power and irrigation projects with India.

Former foreign minister and leader of the Nepali Congress Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat stressed on the need for ‘internal unity among the political forces first’ and said, “We are not in a position to turn Singh’s visit to our national interest.”