India rejects third party intervention in its boundary dispute with Nepal
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By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 2: India today rejected any third party intervention in resolution of its boundary dispute with Nepal.
Reacting to Nepalese Prime Minister Balen Shah's statement over involvement of United Kingdom or China in resolution of the boundary dispute, New Delhi maintained that the issue would be dealt with bilaterally and it would not allow any third party intervention as suggested by Kathmandu.
External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told mediapersons that both sides already have established bilateral mechanisms and any discussion on the matter will take place through the prescribed channels.
The long-standing boundary dispute centres around Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas that India has consistently maintained are part of Uttarakhand.
Jaiswal was responding to a specific query on New Delhi’s stand on Nepalese PM's remark that he was engaging with Britain and China while holding discussions with India on the border dispute.
“We have established bilateral mechanisms to deal with all aspects of boundary matters. It should be clear to all concerned that there is no role for any third party in a bilateral matter between India and Nepal,” Jaiswal said.
He added that nearly 98 per cent of the India-Nepal boundary has already been demarcated, although a few segments remain unresolved.
“We have seen the remarks of the Prime Minister of Nepal concerning the India-Nepal boundary, as well as the subsequent statement issued by the Nepali Foreign Ministry on this matter. While close to 98 per cent of the India-Nepal boundary has been demarcated, there are some unresolved segments. The shifting course of the Gandak River has contributed to this situation,” he said.
“In addition, there are instances of cross-border occupation and encroachment on No-Man’s Land in demarcated sections of the boundary, which are currently being jointly mapped,” he added.
Shah told the Nepalese Parliament on Sunday that his government is engaging with Britain and China on the border dispute with India, while continuing discussions with New Delhi.
“Since this issue dates back to the period when British India left the region, it is our view that England should be involved in this matter,” he said.
