India raises security concerns with Nepal

India's foreign minister urges for better protection of Indian diplomats in Nepal.

KATHMANDU: India's foreign minister on Friday urged Nepal to provide better protection to Indian diplomats as he wound up a three-day visit to the Himalayan nation.

India's ambassador, Rakesh Sood, has faced several protests in the past year with Maoist party members hurling shoes at him while he toured Indian-funded assistance projects outside the capital Kathmandu.

Throwing shoes is considered a mark of disrespect in Hindu culture.

"I conveyed our serious concern about the attacks on our ambassador, which is completely contrary to Nepal's tradition of hospitality," Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters.

He added that he had "requested the government (of Nepal) to provide adequate safety to Indian diplomats and diplomatic premises."

Concerns about the safety of foreign diplomats were heightened after a Pakistani embassy official suffered multiple wounds when he was shot by an unidentified gunman last week in Kathmandu.

The Maoists form part of Nepal's government and are a major force in the country. They have traditionally resented the Indians, viewing them as interfering in the country's internal affairs.

But India provides a vital lifeline to its landlocked neighbour as its sole supplier of fuel and the two mainly Hindu countries share close religious and cultural links.

They also share an open frontier, allowing citizens of each nation to travel freely across each other's borders.