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As the first meeting of the Eminent Persons' Group (EPG) from Nepal and India began in Kathmandu on Monday, the much talked-about Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 was entered as part of its agenda. EPG members from Nepal introduced issues related to the treaty on the first day of the two-day meeting, during the general discussions on bilateral agreements and arrangements between the two countries. "Members from Nepal introduced the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 as an issue to be discussed within the EPG along with overall issues of bilateral relations," said Yadav Khanal, executive director of the EPG Secretariat in Kathmandu. "Both sides are ready to discuss whether the treaty needs to be amended or scrapped," he added. However, Khanal claimed that the first meeting didn't enter into discussions on any specific treaty or agreement. During the meeting, Nepali members drew the attention of Indian colleagues toward building trust between the two countries in the context of their latest misunderstandings. The 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship is a bilateral treaty between Nepal and India establishing a close strategic relationship between the two South Asian neighbours. The treaty was signed at Kathmandu on 31 July 1950 by the last Rana Prime Minister of Nepal Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Indian ambassador to Nepal, Chadreshwar Narayan Singh and came into force the same day as per Article 9 of the Treaty. Rana rule in Nepal ended just 3 months after the treaty was signed. The treaty allows free movement of people and goods between the two nations and a close relationship and collaboration on matters of defense and foreign policy. After an abortive attempt in 1952 of the Communist Party of Nepal to seize power with Chinese backing, India and Nepal stepped up military and intelligence cooperation under treaty provisions, and India sent a military mission to Nepal.