Nepal also encroached on Indian territory, says Prime Minister Balendra Shah

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on Sunday (31 May 2026) that Nepal too has encroached on some Indian territories, in what is believed to be the first such public statement by a Nepali prime minister.

Mr. Shah was responding to a lawmaker’s question in Parliament regarding the Kalapani region, which is still disputed between Nepal and India, with both countries claiming sovereignty over it.

“You may find this strange, but I have also come to know only recently – after I became Prime Minister – that it is not only India but Nepal has encroached on Indian territories in many places,” Mr Shah said, sparking an uproar in Parliament as the opposition protested the statement.

Lawmakers from the Nepali Congress and the Nepali Communist Party demanded that the prime minister clarify where exactly Nepal encroached on Indian territory and demanded that his remarks be removed from the record.

The political metamorphosis of contemporary Nepal

“There are border disputes between Nepal and India. But the Prime Minister said that Nepal has encroached on Indian territory,” said Nepali Congress Chief Whip Basana Thapa. “Where exactly did this happen? The Prime Minister must inform the House of Commons. That is a serious and questionable statement.”

Arguing that the prime minister may have been speaking without factual basis on the border issue between the two countries, she demanded that the statement be deleted from the parliamentary records.

Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Ramesh Malla said the prime minister’s remarks from the parliamentary rostrum could harm national integrity.

“This is not a trivial matter,” said Mr. Malla. “I feel like he could have treated the subject as if it was something that was said in a casual conversation. This is a very serious matter. Can the head of government or head of state of any country stand on the podium and say they have invaded another country’s soil? How serious is this matter?”

Sunday’s address to Parliament was the first by Mr Shah, a senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, since taking office on March 27 following elections earlier that month, the first since the Gen Z protests last September.

He has previously faced criticism for his reluctance to speak in parliament and his absence from parliamentary sessions.

Mr Shah did not address the first meeting of the newly elected parliament on 2 April. On May 11, when President Ram Chandra Poudel was presenting the government’s policies and programmes, Mr Shah walked out in the middle. The following day, he again broke with parliamentary tradition by refusing to answer questions about policies and programs.

But on Sunday (May 31), Mr Shah suddenly raised his hand and expressed his desire to answer questions from lawmakers.

While he said that the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani dispute would be resolved through dialogue, he also noted that Nepal had encroached on Indian territory.

The northwestern fringe region has long been a bone of contention between Nepal and India, and the dispute recently resurfaced when India announced the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra via the Lipulekh route.

Nepal then sent diplomatic notes to both India and China. However, India claims that the Lipulekh Pass is a historic trade and pilgrimage route in its territory.

Nepal staked its claim to the region in 2020 during KP Sharma Oli’s tenure as Prime Minister, when the government amended the constitution to include Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani on its official map. The move followed the release of a new political map of India in November 2019 that showed the region within Indian territory.

Mr. Shah, 36, became Nepal’s prime minister after serving as mayor of Kathmandu for three and a half years. During his mayoralty, he was known for his “nationalist” stance. At one point, he even displayed a map of “Greater Nepal” in his office, allegedly as a response to the “Akhand Bharat” map displayed in the Indian Parliament.

During his two months in office, Mr. Shah pushed for a more assertive foreign policy, refusing one-on-one meetings with foreign officials and ambassadors. A planned May 11 visit by Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri was postponed, largely because Mr. Shah refused to make time for the meeting.

Mr Shah’s comments on Sunday came just a day before his party chief Rabi Lamichhane was scheduled to visit Delhi. Mr. Lamichhane will meet senior officials in Delhi during his five-day visit.

But border experts say Mr Shah’s claim that Nepal has encroached on Indian territory is not supported by facts.

During the House meeting on Sunday, Mr. Shah said that the Nepalese government had received a reply from India to its diplomatic note.

“We communicated not only with India and China, but also with England,” he said, referring to the United Kingdom. “Our position is that since the dispute dates back to when the British left India, England should also have concerns about this matter. All these issues should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations at the diplomatic table.”

Govt. issues a statement

After Mr Shah’s remarks sparked an uproar, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement later in the day clarifying that the issue raised by the prime minister was “primarily related to encroachment into Dasgaja (no man’s land)” and “cross-border occupation” – the use or possession of land across the border.

“As Nepal and India have adopted the principle of a fixed border in the riverine border areas during demarcation, there have been situations where citizens of one country cultivate land or live on land that falls within the territory of the other country,” the ministry said.

“Studies carried out by the technical commission have shown that at some places the territory currently used and occupied by Nepal may actually fall on the Indian side of the border…,” the ministry said. “The Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament that ‘in some places Indian land may be on the side of Nepal’ was made in the context of this technical reality and the problem of cross-border occupation.

In keeping with the spirit of close relationship between Nepal and India, the Government of Nepal remains committed to resolving border issues through diplomatic dialogue based on historical treaties, agreements and maps, the ministry added.

Published – 31 May 2026 18:16 IST