Nepal and India have had an old boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani. India has consistently maintained that the territories are part of Uttarakhand. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: Mayank Kumar
Responding to assertions made by Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday (June 2, 2026) said that India and Nepal have bilateral mechanisms to deal with border issues and that there is “no role for any third parties” in such matters.Addressing the media, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to the claims made by Mr. Shah who had asserted that the boundary issue is a complex one with both India and Nepal having possession of each other’s territory and had sought intervention of countries like the U.K. and China. The MEA’s response to the Nepali Prime Minister coincided with the visit of Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, who received a warm welcome in the national capital and met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (June 2, 2026).“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 parties in a bilateral matter between India and Nepal,” said Mr. Jaiswal.In a speech in the Nepali Parliament, Mr. Shah on Sunday (May 31, 2026) had said: “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. Now, both countries should study the facts and sit together as friends and resolve the issue.No man’s landIn response to this, the MEA spokesperson referred to natural phenomena like the shifting of the Gandak river that is part of India-Nepal border. Mr. Jaiswal said, “While close to 98% of the India-Nepal boundary has been demarcated, there are some unresolved segments.”Explaining the complexity of the border issue, Mr. Jaiswal further said, “In addition, there are cases of cross-border occupation and encroachment of no-man’s land in demarcated segments of the boundary, which are currently being mapped jointly.”The remarks from the official spokesperson coincided with the warm welcome that Mr. Lamichhane continued to receive here on the second day of his India visit. Mr. Lamichhane arrived here on Monday when he was welcomed by representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the VIP lounge of the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.‘People-to-people ties’On Tuesday, Mr. Lamichhane who has been the leader of RSP since 2022 called on the External Affairs Minister. Following the discussion, Mr. Jaishankar said: “Our discussions focused on the development partnership and people-to-people ties. These have a crucial role in promoting growth and prosperity.”The visit of Mr. Lamichhane, who is in the country on the invite of the BJP foreign affairs cell, has drawn attention as the trip came weeks after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s scheduled Nepal visit was cancelled because of Mr. Shah’s reported disinclination to meet him.Mr. Shah, a former rapper who took charge as Prime Minister after RSP won the March 2026 election riding on the ‘Balen Shah-wave’, has introduced a blanket policy whereby he refuses to meet visiting bureaucrats and foreign envoys while agreeing to meet only his political counterparts. Earlier, he had also refused to engage with U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor who had gone to Kathmandu in May as he is the U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia.| Video Credit:
