KATHMANDU: Nepal Foreign Ministry on Sunday said Prime Minister Balendra Shah's comments regarding Nepal “encroaching” Indian territories were related to no-man’s land and cross-border occupation between the two countries.
The Foreign Ministry's clarification came hours after Shah said he had learnt about Nepal “encroaching” territories in India as he sought to answer questions in Parliament on a long-running border dispute with New Delhi.
Shah also 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.
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.
There was no immediate response from the Indian side on PM Shah's comments 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.”
On Sunday, Nepal's Foreign Office said Nepal's current border (with India) is based on the Sugauli Treaty of 1816. “Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani and Susta in Nepal-India border area are territories that remain to be demarcated,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
“Nepal and India both have expressed commitment to resolving border issues through diplomatic means and mutual discussion. India has already responded to the diplomatic note sent by Nepal regarding the issue relating to opening of the pilgrimage route being operated by India to Mansarovar.
“There are problems relating to cross-border occupation and no-man's land (Dasgaja) encroachments in some other areas besides these. What the prime minister mentioned in Parliament was related mainly with Dasgaja encroachment and cross-border occupation,” it said.
Technical teams and border mechanisms of both the countries are actively working for construction and repair of boundary pillars, collection of facts relating to Dasgaja encroachment and cross-border occupation for a long time, it added.
The spokesperson also said that there are possibilities that “land being used by people on the Indian side may lie in Nepalese territory” and vice versa. “What the PM said about Indian land lying in Nepali side is related to the cross-border occupation,” the statement said.
“The Nepal government is always committed to resolve issues relating to the border between Nepal and India through dialogue and diplomatic means based on the spirit of close relations existing between the two countries, historical facts, maps and agreements.”
The Foreign Ministry issued the statement to clarify matters after Shah's comments raised a storm and sent ripples of shock across Nepal, prompting media queries.