rr Photo: Gopen Rai

India's Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, widely believed to be one of the architects of the recent blockade against Nepal, met with Prime Minister KP Oli on Tuesday.

Jaishankar, who is in Nepal to attend a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), met Oli at his residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu.

Oli once again assured Jaishankar that his government is committed to not allowing any country to use Nepal against India, according to the RSS. In response, Jaishankar said India would help Nepal to achieve political stability.

The Foreign Secretary's visit comes one month after India lifted its blockade against Nepal and just one week before Oli's China visit. Oli is flying to Beijing early next week, where he will sign at least six agreements on trade, transit and development with China, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Thapa.

In September of last year, just a day after Nepal's new constitution was passed by an elected assembly, Jaishankar visited Nepal as a special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He tried to persuade Nepal's top political leaders to postpone the promulgation of the new constitution.

But Nepali leaders refused to consider Jaishankar's advice, and promulgated the new constitution on 20 September without the participation of Madhesi parties. Two days later, India warned of a disruption of supply and Madhesi parties began border-centric protests to cover up India's blockade against the landlocked nation.

The blockade continued for five months, and was lifted ahead of Oli's India visit in February. Oli has claimed that the misunderstanding between Nepal and China is now cleared, but New Delhi is still putting pressure on Kathmandu to address Madhesi demands.

Jaishankar also met with Madhesi leaders in Kathmandu to ask if any progress was being made in talks with the Big Three parties. Madhesi parties say the Big Three are still not serious about their demands. After meeting Jaishankar, they decided to re-launch their agitation in April.  They have also decided to brief Chinese ambassador in Kathmandu about their issues.