India, Oct. 23 -- Nepal Prime Minister (PM) Balendra Shah is preparing to visit India towards November, nearly eight months after taking office in March, and this would be his maiden bilateral foreign trip as PM. There are reports that two governments have already swapped lists of projects to inaugurate and agreements to sign.

There are serious issues to raise with the Indian counterparts: The boundary, air routes for Nepal through India, and the trade imbalance. The visit is worth making, but it will be worth remembering only if it moves those three issues.

Geographically landlocked, Nepal remains fundamentally bound to India, through which the vast majority of its trade, fuel imports, and future revenues must flow. Among the critical ...