KATHMANDU: Nepal has halted an international conference on Tibetan studies scheduled to be held in Kathmandu later this month after senior government officials instructed organisers to cancel the event.

The 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) conference, planned for August 23–29, was to be jointly organised by Kathmandu University and the IATS Board, with more than 700 scholars and researchers from around the world expected to attend.

According to organisers, Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai summoned Kathmandu University officials to Singha Durbar on Monday and directed them not to proceed with the conference, citing an “unfavourable situation.” No official reason was disclosed.

The organisers said they have informed the IATS Board that Nepal can no longer host the event, leaving the board to decide whether it will be relocated to another country.

The cancellation follows reports that the Chinese ambassador to Nepal had recently raised concerns with Nepal’s Foreign Ministry over the participation of individuals linked to the Central Tibetan Administration.

The conference would have marked the first time Nepal hosted the prestigious Tibetan studies gathering. More than 728 participants had registered, including over 100 delegates from mainland China and more than 150 from the United States, while hotels and venues had already been booked before the government intervened.