Nepal Says No Role For Third Parties In Border Talks With India, Defends PM Shah's Remarks

Published 11 June 2026 · politics

Nepal Says No Role For Third Parties In Border Talks With India, Defends PM Shah's Remarks Published By, Last Updated: June 11, 2026, 14:45 IST

Nepal Says No Role For Third Parties In Border Talks With India, Defends PM Shah's Remarks Published By, Last Updated: June 11, 2026, 14:45 IST Nepal's foreign minister told Parliament that border issues with India will be resolved through bilateral mechanisms, rejecting any suggestion of third-party mediation. A file photo of Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal (PTI) Nepal’s government on Wednesday moved to dispel controversy over recent remarks by Prime Minister Balendra Shah on border issues with India, with Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal telling Parliament that Kathmandu remains firmly committed to resolving all boundary-related matters through bilateral mechanisms and does not support third-party mediation. The clarification came amid mounting criticism from opposition parties, which have accused the Prime Minister of making statements that could be interpreted as inviting external involvement in Nepal-India border discussions. The issue has triggered protests in Parliament and demands from opposition lawmakers for Shah’s resignation. Addressing the House, Khanal said Nepal’s official position on the matter remains unchanged and that border disputes with India should be settled through direct dialogue and negotiations between the two countries. “What I would like to clarify in this esteemed House is that the Nepal-India border is a bilateral issue and Nepal is always committed to resolving this problem through diplomatic dialogue and negotiations based on historical treaties, agreements and maps in accordance with the spirit and spirit of the close relationship between Nepal and India," Khanal said.

According to the minister, the Prime Minister’s comments were not intended as a call for mediation by any third country. Instead, Khanal said Shah had merely referred to the possibility that historical records from the period of the Sugauli Treaty could serve as supplementary reference material in the ongoing technical process related to the border. Khanal further explained that the Prime Minister’s concerns were primarily linked to issues involving encroachment in the Dashgaja area, commonly referred to as the no-man’s land along the Nepal-India border, as well as instances of cross-border occupation. “The issue raised by the Prime Minister in the Parliament is basically related to the encroachment of the Dashgaja area and ‘cross-border occupation’," Khanal said. He noted that several bilateral mechanisms are already functioning to address such matters. Technical teams from Nepal and India are engaged in border mapping, maintenance of boundary pillars and data collection related to encroachment and occupation along different sections of the frontier. “The border-related mechanisms and technical teams of the two countries are active in the areas where the long border between Nepal and India has been systematically and scientifically mapped, to construct and maintain border pillars, collect data on encroachment of the Dashgaja area and ‘cross-border occupation’," he said. The minister also said that a technical committee whose work had remained stalled for a prolonged period has resumed activities in the border regions.