PM Shah’s border remarks were linked to cross-border land use, says foreign ministry

Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recent parliamentary remarks concerning Nepal encroaching on Indian land were specifically related to cross-border land occupation and use, rather than any territorial claims.

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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 clarification came after Shah's statement in the House of Representatives sparked debate. The Prime Minister had stated that he learned after becoming prime minister that "not only has India encroached on Nepal’s land, but Nepal has also encroached on India’s land in multiple places."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri explained that the prime minister's comments primarily addressed encroachments in the "no-man's-land" area along the border and the phenomenon of "cross-border occupation." He noted that Nepal-India boundary demarcation in riverine areas, using a fixed boundary principle, has resulted in citizens of one nation cultivating or residing on territory belonging to the other.

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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.

Studies by a technical committee have indicated that some land currently used by Nepal might lie on the Indian side of the boundary, and vice versa. The ministry stated that the prime minister's remark about Indian land potentially being on the Nepali side is linked to this technical reality and the issue of cross-border occupation. The ministry's statement aimed to address criticism that Shah's remarks were an acknowledgement of Nepali territorial encroachment.

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not only has India encroached on Nepal’s land, but Nepal has also encroached on India’s land in multiple places