Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML leaders drew the attention of Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae on Friday to the crisis on the border where Nepal-bound cargo and freight have been stranded on the Indian side in the lack of clearance.

In separate meetings with the Indian envoy, PM Koirala, UML Chairman KP Oli and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal stressed that the two countries should improve their relations, sources privy to the development said.

The ambassador refused to acknowledge that the problems were created by India. He said the obstruction was due to the protests in Nepal’s Tarai. But he assured of taking initiatives to resolve the crisis.

He tried to clarify that India had not imposed any kind of economic or trade blockade as reported in some media.

Leaders Nepal and Oli, while expressing dismay at the political and diplomatic standoff between Nepal and India, said time had come to take bilateral relations to a new high rather than making it more complicated.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy blamed the reported obstruction on the unrest on the Nepali side.

In a statement on Friday, the embassy asked the Nepali leadership to address the root cause of the agitation in Madhes.

The embassy added that the issues Nepal is facing are political in nature and the differences should be resolved with “broad-based ownership and acceptance”.

Foreign Ministry seeks clarification

Minister for Health and Population and Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs Khaga Raj Adhikari also took up the matter with Rae. Officials privy to the meeting said Adhikari told Rae that Nepal is ready to provide security if India releases Nepal-bound cargo, trucks and tankers.

The Nepali side also objected to the “protest on the no man’s land by Indian citizens, and non-cooperation from the Indian side to clear the protesters”. Minister Adhikari also requested the Indian side to ensure normal service at the customs points as earlier.

During the meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Singha Durbar, Adhikari sought India’s cooperation to ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles carrying essential commodities to Nepal, the ministry said in a statement.

Clarifying that India does not intend to impose any kind of blockade, Rae said several vehicles were stopped on the border as per the request of transporters and freight carriers who felt insecure amid the protest. The minister told Rae that adequate arrangements were in place to ensure the safety of carriers. He expressed Nepal’s commitment to securing the life and property of Indian nationals in Nepal.

Ambassador Rae assured that the concerns raised by the Nepali side would be conveyed to New Delhi.

A meeting of top leaders of three major parties had on Thursday decided to seek clarification from the Indian ambassador over the obstructions on the border.

Asked to comment on the meeting, spokesperson at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Abhay Kumar said there was nothing much to say. “Whatever concerns we have, we have already made public,” he added.