MEA rejects ‘third party’ role in India-Nepal border issue after Balen Shah’s China, UK remark sparks controversy

The Ministry of External Affairs rejected the role of "third parties" in the India-Nepal border issue after Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah claimed to have discussions with China and the United Kingdom regarding the border dispute.

Reacting to Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah's stamen on the matter a few days back, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “It should be clear to all concerned that there is no role for any third parties in a bilateral matter between India and Nepal.”

Jaiswal said the ministry has seen the remarks by the Nepal Prime Minister on the India-Nepal boundary, as well as the subsequent statement by the Nepali foreign office on this matter.

He said, “While close to 98 percent of the India-Nepali boundary has been demarcated, there are some unresolved segments.” Jaiswal claimed that the shifting of the Gandak River has resulted in this situation.

“In addition, there are cases of cross-border occupation and encroachment of no man's land in demarcated segments of the boundary, which are currently being mapped jointly. We have established bilateral mechanisms to deal with all aspects of boundary matters,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said.

Speaking in Parliament on Sunday, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said it is not only that India has encroached on Nepali territories, but Nepal has also encroached on Indian territories.

“After becoming prime minister, I came to know that not only has India encroached on Nepal’s land, but Nepal has also encroached on India’s land in multiple places,” Prime Minister Shah was quoted by the Kathmandu Post as saying.

He made the remarks while answering a question from Aaren Rai of Shram Sanskriti Party in parliament. “Both sides need to sit down and look into the matter,” Shah had said.

He reportedly added, “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.”

After Shah’s statement in the House of Representatives sparked controversy, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the remarks about Nepal having encroached on Indian land were made in reference to cross-border land occupation and the use of land across the Nepal-India border, rather than any territorial claim.

In a statement, foreign ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said the prime minister’s remarks were primarily related to encroachments in the no-man’s-land area along the border and what he described as “cross-border occupation,” the Kathmandu Post reported.

“The issue mentioned by the prime minister in Parliament is essentially related to encroachment in the Dasgaja area [no-man’s land] and cross-border occupation,” the Nepalese ministry added.

According to the ministry, the Nepal-India boundary in riverine areas was demarcated using the fixed boundary principle, resulting in situations where citizens of one country cultivate land or reside on territory that falls within the other country’s jurisdiction.

The ministry said studies conducted by a technical committee had shown that some land currently being used and occupied by Nepal could fall on the Indian side of the boundary, while some land currently used and occupied by India could fall on the Nepali side.

“The prime minister’s statement in Parliament that in some places Indian land may be on the Nepali side is linked to this technical reality and the issue of cross-border occupation,” the statement added.