Kathmandu: The long-standing dispute over parts of the India-Nepal border has come under the spotlight again, triggered this time by Prime Minister Balen Shah.
The Gen-Z leader courted controversy while delivering his first speech in Parliament on Sunday, more than two months after being sworn in as the Himalayan kingdom’s youngest Prime Minister.
Acknowledging that India and Nepal had issues over the border, involving Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, Shah added that the border row wasn’t one-sided.
“You might find it strange, but I learned only recently — after becoming prime minister — that it’s not just India, Nepal too has encroached upon Indian territory in many places. Both countries should study the facts and resolve the issue as friends,” Shah said.
He added that Nepal had raised the issue with China and the United Kingdom. “We have spoken not only with India and China, but also with the UK government. Our view is that the UK should also take an interest, as the issue dates back to the period when British India left the region.”
Shah’s remarks have stirred a hornet’s nest in Nepal, with Opposition lawmakers demanding that his remarks be expunged.
Diplomats said that Nepal has not encroached upon Indian territory in the way the Prime Minister suggested in Parliament and sought clarification.
Nilambar Acharya, Nepal’s former ambassador to India, said that New Delhi has never officially complained about Nepal occupying Indian territory, and that 97% of the border issues have already been resolved.
Not documented in any record
Deep Kumar Upadhyay, another former ambassador of Nepal to India, made the point that Nepal’s encroachment into Indian territory is not documented in any record.
Foreign affairs experts and social media users observed that Shah’s comments undermined Nepal’s long-standing position on the border dispute with India, and weakened its position with regards to future negotiations.
“The prime minister of a country should think a dozen times before speaking. Restraint and maturity are even more essential when dealing with sensitive diplomatic issues,” said Nepali Congress vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma.
Damage control
Shah’s ‘faux pas’ has forced Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a clarification, stating that the issue raised by the PM was related to encroachment in the Dasgaja area and ‘cross-border occupation.’
“Because Nepal and India adopted the Fixed Boundary Principle in river-border areas during boundary demarcation, situations have arisen where citizens of one country cultivate land or reside on land that falls within the territory of the other country,” the Foreign ministry said.
