Nepal cannot locate original Sugauli Treaty amid border dispute

Nepal's government cannot confirm if it holds the original 1816 Sugauli Treaty, which defined its border with British India. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told the House of Representatives that while records of some treaty documents exist at the National Archives, clarity on possessing the official treaty is absent.

This uncertainty arises as border disputes with India have intensified, especially after India and China agreed to reopen the Lipulekh trade route. The Sugauli Treaty, signed after Nepal's defeat in the Anglo-Nepal War, ceded significant territory and established the country's territorial boundaries.

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The Government of Nepal does not have clear information on whether we possess the official treaty documents. There are records showing that some documents related to certain treaties are kept at the National Archives. But we do not have clear information as to whether those are the actual official treaties.

Previous parliamentary inquiries and efforts by the Eminent Persons’ Group on Nepal-India Relations have also failed to locate the original document. In 2019, then Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali acknowledged possessing copies but expressed uncertainty about their authenticity, stating a need to "forensically verify" them and search for historical documents in India and the United Kingdom.

A parliamentary committee in July concluded that original copies of both the Sugauli Treaty and the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship could not be found in Nepal, despite thorough searches across libraries, archives, and government ministries.

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We have both treaties, but we have to forensically verify whether these copies are originals or not. We are also trying to find historical documents and maps in India and the United Kingdom.