KATHMANDU: Remarks made by Prime Minister Balen Shah in the House of Representatives on Sunday have triggered political debate in Nepal and drawn attention in India.
Addressing Parliament, Shah said Nepal had held diplomatic discussions not only with India and China but also with the United Kingdom regarding the long-standing border dispute involving Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.
He argued that since the dispute originated during the era of British India, the UK should also take interest in helping address the issue.
“We have held diplomatic discussions not only with India and China but also with the British government. This border dispute dates back to the period of British rule, so the UK should also play a role in resolving it,” Shah said in Parliament.
His remarks received coverage in Indian media, including reports by the Hindi daily Navbharat Times, which highlighted the proposal to involve Britain in discussions over the disputed territory.
Controversial remarks on border encroachment
Shah also stirred controversy by claiming that territorial encroachment concerns exist on both sides of the Nepal-India border.
“After becoming prime minister, I learned that it is not only India that has encroached upon Nepali land; Nepal has also occupied land belonging to India in some places,” he said.
The prime minister suggested that the issue should be resolved through dialogue involving a joint team of historians, surveyors and regional experts from both countries.
He also linked the Lipulekh issue to the India-China trade corridor that passes through the area.
Dispute reignited after Kailash Mansarovar announcement
Tensions over the issue intensified after India and China announced on April 29 that the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh would be reopened.
Nepal objected to the move, stating that Lipulekh lies within its territory and that decisions regarding the area should not be made without Nepal’s involvement.
India, however, has consistently rejected Nepal’s claim and maintains that Lipulekh Pass, located between the Indian state of Uttarakhand and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, has long served as a traditional route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
Indian authorities have argued that the route has been in use since 1954 and have described Nepal’s claim as unsupported by historical evidence.
Nepal, on the other hand, maintains that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani, located east of the Mahakali River, are part of its territory under the provisions of the Treaty of Sugauli.
The differing interpretations of historical records and boundary demarcations continue to be at the center of the decades-long dispute between the two neighboring countries.
