President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to arrive in Nepal on November 25 for the 17th SAARC Summit to be held at Katmandu. He will join leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan who will take part in the summit.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will probably arrive in Nepal by road, Indian media reported a few days ago. It is expected that he will meet the Sri Lankan President in the backdrop of the summit. Analysts say they are expected to discuss matters pertaining to the illegal fishing.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen are also expected to participate.

Meanwhile the government of Nepal has decided to deploy Nepal Army and Police officers as chauffers of the leaders to avoid possible security breaches. Nepal has hosted the event twice before, in 1987 and 2002.

This is the first SAARC Summit since 2011 and governments have changed many countries. India's Modi government has hinted about re-vitalizing SAARC, which has been seen by many as a powerless organization.