Nepal PM’s ‘mutual encroachment’ remark sparks controversy

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said both Nepal and India have encroached on each other's territories and called for a diplomatic resolution of border disputes. His remarks sparked criticism from opposition leaders and former diplomats in Nepal

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Sunday said he has learnt about his country “encroaching” territories in India, as he sought to answer questions in the parliament on a long-running border dispute.

In his maiden appearance in the ongoing parliament session that started on May 11, Shah further said India and Nepal have agreed to take the help of historians, surveyors and experts to seek a resolution, adding that Kathmandu has also taken up the matter with China and the United Kingdom.

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Nepal and India have had an old boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, with both countries claiming the areas. India maintains that the territories are part of Uttarakhand and has said the issue should be addressed through bilateral dialogue.

New Delhi did not immediately respond to the Nepal PM’s comments on Sunday. But earlier this month, while rejecting Nepal’s objection to the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the long-established Lipulekh Pass, India had dismissed Kathmandu’s territorial claims over the region as an “unilateral artificial enlargement” that New Delhi finds “untenable.” Shah told the parliament on Sunday: “The Nepal government has officially sent a diplomatic note to India, mentioning the issue of encroachment of territories by India, including Lipulekh, and we have already received their response.”

“Both the countries have agreed to resolve the issue sitting together with the help of historians, surveyors and concerned experts through diplomatic means,” he said.

When specifically asked by a lawmaker about the government’s view on the dispute concerning the Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani areas, Shah said it is not only India that has “encroached” land in Nepal, the latter too had done the same with its southern neighbour.

“You will be surprised to know about a fact, which I have learnt recently, only after becoming the Prime Minister. India has not only encroached Nepalese territories, but Nepal has also encroached India’s territories in many places,” said the prime minister, who came to power after a sweeping election victory earlier this year. “Now both countries should study the facts and sit together as friends and resolve the issue.”

The three places are located near the trijunction of India, Tibet and Nepal. Shah said Kathmandu has also taken up the matter with China and the United Kingdom. He said he raised the matter with the UK because it dates back to a period when the British government left the region.

Shah’s comments about Nepal encroaching Indian territories have triggered a controversy. Opposition lawmakers, including Basana Thapa of the Nepali Congress and Ramesh Malla of the Nepali Communist Party, objected to Shah’s remarks and demanded that they be expunged from the parliamentary record.

They said the prime minister should either provide evidence to support his claim that Nepal had encroached on Indian territory or withdraw the statement.

Former Nepal Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali has also reportedly sought an apology from Shah. Many Nepalese social media users have criticised the prime minister’s comments, while several experts have dismissed it.

Former Nepalese ambassador to India Nilambara Acharya told Kantipuronline media portal that Shah has “no information regarding Indian territories being encroached by Nepal.”

According to Acharya, 97 per cent of the border disputes between the two sides have already been resolved. There are reports about some Nepalese using land in India and some Indians using land in Nepal due to the missing border pillars in some border areas, he said, but the Nepal government as such has not encroached India’s territory.

Another former ambassador of Nepal to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay said that Nepal encroaching India’s territory is not there in any record.
“India has also not raised this issue on record So far we have conducted studies, but this issue has never surfaced I don’t know in which context the prime minister spoke about such a serious matter,” he told the Nepalpress online news portal.

Nepal-India border expert and renowned geographer Buddhi Narayan Shrestha has also dismissed the prime minister’s statement about Nepal encroaching Indian territories.

Nepal has never encroached Indian territories or extended its occupation in the border area. In some border areas due to cross-holding occupations the farmers of both the countries have used each other’s land, he said.

Earlier this month, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said the country is committed to resolving the border issue with India through diplomatic channels. His comments came after Kathmandu’s claim over the region triggered a rebuttal from New Delhi.