Territories East of Mahakali River including Kalapani belongs to Nepal, says PM Prachanda

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Tuesday said that his government is clear and determined that all territories east of Mahakali River, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu pass, come under Nepalese territories.

Prachanda made the remarks while responding to queries raised by lawmakers during the discussion on headings of the Foreign Ministry under the Appropriation Bill, 2081 in the House of Representatives.

He recalled that as per the Sugauli Treaty signed between Nepal and East India Company government in 1816, these territories belong to Nepal and a political map incorporating these territories has also been published.

Nepal's government unveiled its new political map with the inclusion of Lipulek, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas within its territory in May 2020 during the government led by K P Sharma Oli. It was later endorsed by Parliament unanimously.

After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply, calling it a "unilateral act" and cautioning Kathmandu that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. India maintains Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to it.

The Nepal government replaced the old map used in all the official documents with the new map despite India’s objection.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850-km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Prachanda said that during a meeting with his Indian counterpart in the course of his India visit, an understanding was reached to revise and update the existing treaties and agreements including the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship as well as to resolve border-related issues through the existing diplomatic mechanism.

Prachanda said that during his recent visit to India, he requested his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to resolve all outstanding issues including those concerning the border at the earliest and the Prime Minister had responded positively and agreed to move forward with the matter.

A letter has been sent to the Indian side through diplomatic channels for the seventh meeting of the Border Working Group related to the Nepal-India Border as per the commitment made in the seventh meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission to conclude the works in the remaining section of the Nepal-India border, Prachanda added.

Stating that the border problems that occasionally surfaced between Nepal-China are resolved through bilateral talks and consensus, he said that a consensus was forged during the meeting between the Foreign ministers of Nepal and China in March 2022 to forward activities related to Nepal-China Joint Border Monitoring, through mutual consultation.