'India Encroached On Nepal, Nepal Encroached On India Too': Balen Shah’s First Parliament Speech Stirs Fresh Dispute Over Lipulekh, Kalapani

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah's Sunday address to the Nepali Parliament has revived the decades-old border disagreement between India and Nepal. During his address, Shah stated that both Kathmandu and New Delhi had strayed onto each other’s land, drawing massive criticism in his own country. Notably, it was the 35-year-old leader’s first address to lawmakers since becoming the Himalayan nation’s youngest Prime Minister earlier this year.

In his address, while he accepted that the areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani continue to strain bilateral relations, Balen Shah adopted a conciliatory tone and urged a fact-based approach. He suggested that both countries bring in historians, surveyors and experts to settle the matter through dialogue. “You will be surprised to know a fact that I have learnt recently, only after becoming Prime Minister. India has not only encroached Nepali territory, but Nepal has also encroached Indian territory in many places,” the 35-year-old leader asserted. 

“Now both countries should study the facts and sit together as friends and resolve the issue,” Shah added. He also informed MPs that Kathmandu had raised the boundary question with China and with the United Kingdom, citing Britain’s colonial role in drawing the region’s borders.

Foreign Ministry Issues Clarification On Encroachment Remark

Hours after the Prime Minister’s speech, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry immediately moved to explain his wording. The ministry said that PM Shah’s reference to Nepal “encroaching” Indian land was pointed at no-man’s land and cases of cross-border occupation rather than state-sponsored territorial grabs.

The ministry suggested that there are possibilities that land being used by people on the Indian side may fall within Nepalese territory, and vice versa. “What the Prime Minister said about Indian land lying on the Nepali side is related to cross-border occupation,” the statement added.

It further added that technical teams and border mechanisms of both countries are actively working on the construction and repair of boundary pillars, as well as the collection of data related to the Dasgaja areas, a strip along the border traditionally used for maintenance and access, and long-standing cross-border occupation.

Political Backlash For Balen Shah In Kathmandu

Amidst the Foreign Ministry's clarification, Balen Shah’s observation drew sharp criticism from the opposition benches in Nepal. Lawmakers Basana Thapa of the Nepali Congress and Ramesh Malla of the Nepali Communist Party objected in Parliament and asked for his remarks to be removed from the record. They insisted that the Prime Minister either produce evidence or take the statement back. Former Nepal Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali also reportedly sought an apology from the PM.

The analysts and experts on the Nepal-India border have also contested the Nepali PM's claim, saying that Nepal has never encroached on Indian territory, noting that in some regions, farmers from both sides have used each other's land due to cross-border movement and missing boundary pillars.

No Official Record Of Nepali Encroachment

The Nepali diplomats, who have dealt with India, have also pushed back on Prime Minister Shah's remark. Former Nepalese Ambassador to India Nilambara Acharya said that PM Shah had "no information" about Nepalese encroachment of Indian territory, adding that around 97 percent of border issues between the two countries have already been resolved. Overlapping land use exists in certain areas due to missing border pillars, but there is no official record of Nepal encroaching on the Indian territory, he said to a Nepali media outlet.

Another former ambassador, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, also presented the assessment, saying, "India has also not raised this issue on record. So far we have conducted studies, but this matter has never surfaced in official discussions." He added that the context of the Prime Minister's statement remained unclear.

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Dispute Adds To Tension

The Nepali Prime Minister's comments come soon after Nepal lodged formal objections with India and China over the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route through Lipulekh. "The Government of Nepal remains clear and firm that, as per the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal," Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said.

India dismissed the protest, calling Nepal’s position a "unilateral artificial enlargement", deeming the claims as untenable. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri had said that the country remains committed to resolving the border issue through diplomatic channels.

Long-Running Dispute Over Himalayan Tri-Junction

Nepal and India have a longstanding boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, with both sides claiming the areas. India maintained that these territories are part of Uttarakhand and has said that the issue should be resolved through bilateral dialogue.

The three locations lie near the tri-junction of India, China and Nepal. The dispute, which had simmered for years, came to a head in June 2021 when the KP Sharma Oli-led government released a new political map showing all 3 territories as part of Nepal.

India rejected the move, calling it a "unilateral cartographic assertion", and urged Nepal to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both sides have since relied on technical committees and border meetings to address gaps in pillar maintenance and overlapping land use.