PM’s statement related to cross-border occupation: MoFA

By A Staff Reporter 

Kathmandu, June 1: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a clarification regarding the statement made by Prime Minister Balendra Shah in the House of Representatives on Sunday.

Issuing a statement on Sunday evening, Foreign Ministry spokesperson and Joint Secretary Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri clarified that in the Nepal–India border areas, including Susta, Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani, mapping is yet to be completed. Apart from these locations, there are issues of ‘cross-border occupation’ and encroachment on the no-man’s land in some other areas.

According to the ministry, Nepal’s official position regarding the issue of India operating a pilgrimage route to Mount Kailash via Nepal’s Lipulek area was clarified on May 3. 

“India has also responded to Nepal’s diplomatic note through a diplomatic note of its own. Both countries have expressed their commitment to resolving border-related disputes through diplomatic means and mutual dialogue,” the statement read. 

In this context, the remarks made by the Prime Minister in Parliament were primarily related to encroachment in the no man’s land and “cross-border occupation”, meaning cross-border land use, said Poudel. 

He further said that when the Nepal-India border was delineated, the Fixed Boundary Principle was adopted in riverine areas, resulting in situations of “cross-border occupation”, where citizens of one country cultivate and reside on land falling within the territory of the other country.

He further clarified that the technical committees and border-related teams from both countries are actively engaged in surveying and collecting data on boundary pillars, maintenance, encroachment on the no-man’s land, and cases of cross-border occupation in areas where the border has been properly demarcated in a systematic and scientific manner. 

“The work of the technical committee, which had been stalled for a long time, is now in progress along the border, and joint data collection is underway,” the statement read. 

The statement further read, “Studies by the technical committee indicate that in some places land currently used and occupied by Nepal may fall on the Indian side, while land currently used and occupied by India may fall on the Nepali side. The Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament suggesting that “in some places Indian land may lie on the Nepal side” is connected to this technical reality and the issue of cross-border occupation.”

In line with the spirit and essence of the close Nepal–India relationship, the Government of Nepal remains fully committed to resolving border issues through diplomatic dialogue, based on historical treaties, agreements and maps, the statement added.