Nepal’s PM Balen Shah again raised Border Dispute! Where does China stand amidst this tension between India and Nepal?

Nepal PM Balen Shah Statement On Border Dispute: Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah has given a very controversial statement in his Parliament on the India-Nepal border dispute. His new statement has sparked a new and big debate in South Asian diplomacy. This statement of Balen Shah is being considered very important and challenging for the relations between the two countries.

Balen Shah said in Parliament that this entire matter of land grabbing is not one-sided at all. He claimed that Nepal has also occupied some Indian land at many places. He has strongly advocated the inclusion of China and Britain in this old dispute.

heavy opposition from the opposition

Main opposition parties like Nepali Congress and Communist Party have expressed strong objection to this statement of Balen Shah. The opposition has termed this shocking statement of the Prime Minister as completely against the national interest. These parties have made a strong demand for immediate removal of this statement of the Prime Minister from the records of Parliament.

Seeing the increasing controversy, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry had to immediately adopt its damage control mode completely. The Ministry has clarified that this statement of the Prime Minister did not mean any formal territorial claim. He was only referring to the inadvertent occupation of Dashagaja area and the missing border pillars there.

mention of sugauli treaty

Nepal bases its claim on the Lipulekh region on its old interpretation of the historic Sugauli Treaty of 1816. These comments have been made during the discussion of this big dispute over Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh areas. This area is a very strategic area located near the tri-junction of India, Nepal and Tibet.

China’s stance on the India-Nepal border dispute and especially the Lipulekh Pass has always been very strategic and balanced. China’s official stance is that this is only a bilateral issue between India and Nepal. China avoids becoming a direct mediator in this and advises both the countries to resolve it through mutual negotiations.

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big challenge ahead

About 97 percent of the border disputes between India and Nepal have already been completely resolved. The remaining 3 percent limit which includes Kalapani and Susta can also be easily resolved through talks. The biggest challenge for India now is to prevent China from making any strategic gains in the region.