Nepal: PM Balen Shah trapped by talking about ‘occupation of Indian land’, now Nepal gives clarification

New Delhi. Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah had said in the Parliament regarding the border dispute that Nepal has also occupied the lands of India. This statement created a controversy in Nepal, after which the Foreign Ministry has now given clarification on this matter.

Issuing a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that Prime Minister Shah’s remarks were related to the ‘no-man’s land’ between the two countries and the occupation of the border crossing. The statement said that Nepal’s current border with India is based on the Sugauli Treaty of 1816.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said in the statement, ‘Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, Kalapani and Susta are areas in the Nepal-India border area which are yet to be demarcated. Both Nepal and India have expressed commitment to resolve border issues through diplomatic channels and mutual discussion.

Border dispute between India and Nepal

Actually, there is an old border dispute between Nepal and India regarding Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Susta. Both countries lay claim to these areas. India has always maintained that these areas are part of Uttarakhand. India says that this issue should be resolved through bilateral talks.

Earlier this month, when Nepal had raised objection to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Lipulekh Pass, India had rejected Nepal’s territorial claims. India termed it as ‘one-sided artificial expansion’ and called it completely indefensible.

The issue of cross-border farming and no-man’s land

Nepal Foreign Ministry said that apart from the main disputes, there are problems of cross-border occupation and encroachment of no-man’s land in some areas. The ministry said, ‘There are possibilities that the land being used by the people of the Indian side may be in Nepalese territory and the land being used by the people of Nepal may be in Indian territory. What the Prime Minister said in Parliament was actually about the occupation of this very border.

The statement said that technical teams and border systems of both the countries have been working for a long time to construct, repair the border pillars and gather facts. The Nepal government is trying to establish good relations between the two countries on the basis of historical facts, maps and agreements.

Also read: ‘Not only India, Nepal also captured their land’, created uproar over PM Balen Shah’s statement

Let us tell you that while answering the questions related to the border dispute in the Parliament, PM Shah had said that India and Nepal have agreed to resolve this old dispute. For this, both the countries will take the help of historians, surveyors and experts. Balen Shah also told that Nepal has also raised this matter with China and the United Kingdom.