Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the border issue with India would be resolved through “dialogue and diplomacy” | Today’s news

Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Sunday said that issues related to the border with India will be resolved through dialogue and diplomatic engagement, ANI reported.

For the first time since taking office after parliamentary elections in March, Nepal’s prime minister stressed the need for negotiations to resolve the issue peacefully.

He said the border issue with India would be resolved “through round table negotiations and diplomatic efforts”.

Balendra Shah on Sunday said he came to know about allegations of Nepal’s “encroachment” into Indian territory while answering questions in Parliament on the long-running border dispute, PTI reported.

He added that both sides had agreed to bring in historians, surveyors and other experts to help resolve the issue, noting that Kathmandu was also in diplomatic talks with China and the United Kingdom on the matter.

Nepal and India have an ongoing border dispute over Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, with both countries laying claim to these areas. India claims the territories are part of Uttarakhand and has reiterated that the issue should be resolved through bilateral dialogue.

“The government of Nepal has officially sent a diplomatic note to India mentioning the issue of intrusion into Indian territory, including Lipulekh, and we have already received their reply,” Shah told parliament. “Both countries agreed to solve the problem together with the help of historians, surveyors and interested experts through diplomatic channels.”

Read also | Bangladesh says ‘don’t worry’ as Bengal starts border fencing work

However, he added that it is not only India that has “encroached” on Nepal’s land, the latter has also done the same to India, PTI reported.

“You will be surprised to know about a fact that I came to know recently only after I became the Prime Minister. India has not only encroached on Nepali territories but Nepal has also encroached on India’s territory at many places,” Shah said. “Now both countries should study the facts and sit together as friends and solve the problem.

Former diplomats say…

Former Nepali ambassador to India Nilambara Acharya told media portal Kantipuronline that Shah had “no information about Indian territories encroaching on Nepal”.

According to Acharya, 97 percent of the border disputes between the two sides have already been resolved, but few of them still persist.

There are reports of some Nepalis using land in India and some Indians using land in Nepal due to the lack of border pillars in some border areas, but the Nepali government as such has not encroached on Indian territory, Acharya said.

Another former ambassador of Nepal to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, said that there is no record of Nepal encroaching on Indian territory.

“India has also not raised this issue on record… We have done studies so far but this issue never came up… I don’t know in what context the prime minister spoke about such a serious matter,” he told online news portal Nepalpress.

Earlier this month, India said it was willing to engage constructively with Nepal on all matters of their bilateral relations, including resolving outstanding border issues through dialogue and diplomatic means.

Read also | Will the Cockroach Janta Party spark a Bangladesh-style Gen Z protest in India?

Responding to media queries on the border issue claims made by Nepal’s foreign ministry in connection with the annual Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randeep Jaiswal said that India’s position in this regard has been consistent and clear.

“Lipulekh Pass has been a long-standing route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since 1954 and the Yatra through this route has been going on for decades. This is not a new development,” he said, as reported by ANI.

“As far as territorial claims are concerned, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Such unilateral artificial expansion of territorial claims is unsustainable,” the spokesperson added.

Read also | Nepal climbed to fifth place in the CWCL 2 standings after a crucial win over Scotland

In 2020, India rejected the KP Sharma Oli-led government’s move regarding Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani, saying the revised map released included parts of Indian territory.

“This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence. It is against the bilateral agreement to resolve outstanding border issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial expansion of India’s territorial claims will not be accepted,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

(With input from agencies)