No plans to evacuate Indians from Nepal : MEA, CA MIN

New Delhi, Apr 24 (UNI) Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today chaired a high-level meeting at his office and reviewed the current developments including the situation in Nepal.

The two-hour meeting which discussed the Nepal situation in detail, was also attended by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, Home Secretary V K Duggal, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt, Army Chief J J Singh and Heads of various intelligence agencies, sources said.

An External Affairs Ministry spokesman said there were no plans for evacuation of Indian officials or nationals from Nepal.

''We do not believe the situation in Nepal warrants any such planning,'' the spokesman said.

The Civil Aviation Ministry also denied that it was planning to evacuate anyone from Nepal and that Indian Airlines had been put on alert.

There are ''no plans for evacuating anyone from Nepal. The Indian Airlines has not been put on alert,'' Civil Aviation Ministry officials said.

The meeting at the South Block office of Defence Minister was held as skirmishes continued between pro-democracy agitators and the police while the seven-party alliance, spearheading the movement, planned a ''grand show'' tomorrow for reinstating the dissolved Parliament.

UNI RB/SU MA KP2106