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As Nepal continues to grapple with the violent Maoist insurgency and bitter infighting within the ruling Nepali Congress party, all eyes in Kathmandu are set on King Gyanendra's forthcoming week-long visit to India beginning June 23.
The country hopes to renew and reinvigorate age-old ties and seek India's cooperation in curbing the menace of Maoist insurgency.
This is the monarch's first visit to a foreign country after he ascended the throne following the massacre of his elder brother King Birendra and his entire family on June 1 last year.
In a pre-visit interview to Doordarsan, King Gyanendra thanked India for understanding Nepal's problem and its point of view.
Regretting that several countries, including India and Nepal, were facing some form of terrorism, he said, "Here is an issue, if we let go out of hand, we will have to face terrible consequences."
"This (scourge of terrorism) has come from desperation. We must do something positive against this menace," he said while reiterating Nepal's position of not allowing its soil to be used against any other nation.
"We expect reciprocity from all other countries," he added.
This statement should be seen in the context of the crisis-ridden South Asian nation's efforts to contain the terror unleashed by Maoist rebels.
The six-plus-year-old insurgency that aims to overthrow monarchy and establish a republic has already claimed the lives of over 4,300 people, according to the latest figures made available by Nepal's home ministry.
Tourism, exports and business are in the doldrums and, adding to the bad news is the fresh infighting within the ruling Nepali Congress, which on Wednesday resulted in a vertical split in Nepal's oldest democratic party.
The split, dubbed 'unfortunate and unavoidable' by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who now presides over one faction, comes five months before mid-term polls are due on November 13.
Under these circumstances, the Hindu monarch's historic visit to the friendly neighbour is expected to not only strengthen the age-old friendly ties, but also open up new vistas for mutual cooperation, especially in Nepal's continuing fight against Maoist insurgency.
Signs of cooperation are already emerging.
When under pressure from security forces or when in need of medical treatment, militants frequently crossed over to Uttar Pradesh, which lies south of the Maoist hotbed in mid-western Nepal, taking advantage of the porous and poorly guarded border.
In fact, top Maoist leaders, including chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Prachanda (whose real name is Puspa Kamal Dahal) and another influential leader Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai, are suspected to be hiding in India.
Security forces have found evidence of their connection with the People's War Group (PWG) and even the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka.
Now, the UP police has been ordered to keep track of such intrusions, arrest suspected Maoists and deport them.
Earlier this week, nine Maoists, receiving treatment at a private nursing home in Balrampur area, were deported. This is just one among several such acts of cooperation in recent months.
Following Prime Minister Deuba's visit to India in April, New Delhi promised both military and development support to Nepal.
It also asked Kathmandu to share information on the whereabouts of Nepali rebels in India.
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh was the first Indian leader to publicly condemn the Maoists, calling them terrorists.
Nepal is hoping that King Gyanendra's visit will help foster better relations between the two governments and strengthen efforts on both sides to prevail over the Maoist rebels.
King Gyanendra and Queen Komal will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan by President K R Narayanan and Usha Narayanan on June 24.
While in New Delhi, King Gyanendra will meet Vice-President Krishna Kant, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Union ministers and other officials, according to the schedule announced in Kathmandu on Thursday.
Besides his wife, his daughter Princess Prerana and Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply Purna Bahadur Khadka will also accompany the king.
The entourage will also visit Kolkata and the Kamakhya temple in Assam before returning home on June 28.
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