NEW DELHI: India has firmly rejected any third-party involvement or external mediation regarding its boundary alignment discussions with Nepal. The categorical statement comes in response to suggestions made by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who proposed involving China and the United Kingdom to address the frontier differences.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) re-emphasized that all border matters remain strictly within the domain of established bilateral mechanisms.
Progress on Border Mapping and Demarcation
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal outlined the current status of the border mapping and the active joint efforts between the two neighboring states:
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Exclusive Bilateral Track: The MEA reiterated that direct bilateral structures are fully functional, stating that there is absolutely no role for external parties in a purely bilateral matter between India and Nepal.
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High Demarcation Completion: Approximately 98% of the India-Nepal boundary has already been successfully demarcated.
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Remaining Segments: The small remaining unresolved segments are primarily caused by the shifting natural course of the Gandak river.
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No-Man’s Land Management: Joint teams are currently mapping out localized cases of cross-border occupation and the physical encroachment of designated No-Man’s land along previously settled lines.
Controversial Debate in Kathmandu
The diplomatic exchange was triggered after Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the Nepalese Parliament, stating that Kathmandu was in touch with Beijing and London alongside New Delhi. Shah argued that since the frontier dispute dates back to the era when British India left the region, the UK should be involved in the matter. The core historical dispute involves the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani regions near the India-China border, which India maintains are part of Uttarakhand.
During his parliamentary remarks, Shah also sparked an immediate domestic political row by acknowledging that land encroachment had occurred from both sides, stating that Nepal had also encroached on Indian territory.
Following strong objections from Nepalese opposition lawmakers—who demanded the Prime Minister either present historical proof or withdraw the claims from the official record—the Nepal Foreign Ministry issued a swift clarification. The ministry stated that Shah’s remarks were aimed specifically at localized “no-man’s land encroachments” rather than formal state-level territorial claims.
Rejection of Unilateral Map Enlargements
The current geopolitical friction follows an exchange in May 2026, when New Delhi dismissed Kathmandu’s formal objections regarding India’s utilization of the long-established Lipulekh Pass for the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. At that time, India firmly dismissed Nepal’s expanded territorial assertions as an “unilateral artificial enlargement” that lacks any backing of verifiable historical facts or geographic evidence.
