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India will take up the issue of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence carrying on anti-India activities from Nepalese soil during the impending six-day visit of King Gyanendra commencing on June 23, a top external affairs ministry official said on Friday.
"We have hard evidence of ISI agents operating from Nepal. We are concerned but King Gyanendra has assured us that he will not allow anti-India activities to be carried out from his country," the official told rediff.com.
He indicated that the Himalayan kingdom, now wracked by Maoist violence, was quite willing to reciprocate India's offer of multi-faceted cooperation.
"We attach the highest priority to strengthening the traditional bonds of friendship with Nepal. Our two countries have a very close relationship based on our geographical proximity as well as historical, civilisational and cultural linkages," MEA spokeswoman Nirupama Rao told reporters.
She said India remained committed to further development and diversification of Indo-Nepal bilateral relations.
Pointing out that both countries were affected by the scourge of terrorism, Rao said India had extended support to Nepal in its fight against Maoist violence.
India had offered to train Nepal's security personnel and other cooperation, she said.
She said that India had deployed special security personnel along the India-Nepal border to prevent infiltration of Maoists on the run from Nepal's security forces.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh will be among those who would be calling on King Gyanendra.
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