Dr Nishchal N Pandey is the Director of the Center for South Asian Studies, a Kathmandu-based think-tank. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr Pandey was also an International Research committee member of the Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo. He keeps a close tab on the developments that pertain to the South Asian region and their implications for Nepal. As Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leaving for New Delhi on a three-day official visit to India on Friday, Republica's Kosh Raj Koirala sat with him to understand the significance of the visit and the priorities and concerns Nepal should raise. Excerpts: