Kathmandu, Nepal, April 5, 2021: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s stand made before his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during recent his recent official visit to India to resolve the border disputes seen between the two neighboring countries through the existing mechanism likely to revitalize the foreign secretary level mechanism that was formed in 2014 with the tasks to find out the diplomatic solutions regarding the border issues.
An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has a saying that Indian government has fall under pressure to revitalize the foreign secretary level existing mechanism even though it had been remaining reluctant to resolve the border disputes with Nepal.
‘Though India had earlier denied the existence of the border disputes, it has now come to realization that border disputes with Nepal has to be resolved through the diplomatic solutions, the official said preferring anonymity.
Prime Minister Deuba had raised the issues related to the border disputes during the course of bilateral discussions with Modi on April 2, 2022 seeking his help to activate the existing border mechanism to find a diplomatic solution.
Though the border related issues was not formally incorporated in the agendas of the discussions, Prime Minister Deuba had raised the issue. He had reiterated the issue even at the time of joint press briefing followed by the bilateral talks. ‘I have proposed to resolve the boundary disputes through a bilateral mechanism, Deuba had stated.’
Indian Prime Minister Modi, who was listening to Deuba, however, didn't comment on the matter during the news conference. Modi, however, had stated during his address that open borders between India and Nepal should not be misused by undesirable elements.
Later, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said that the two leaders briefly discussed over the topic. ‘There was a general understanding that both sides needed to address this in a responsible manner through discussion and dialogue in the spirit of our close and friendly relations and that the politicization of such issues needs to be avoided,’ Shringla had stated while responding to the queries of the media persons.
Acknowledging the outstanding border issue, Nepal and India had set up a foreign secretary-level joint mechanism in 2014 with the tasks to find a diplomatic solution. Until now, however, the mechanism has not held a single meeting.
The officials at the MoFA have a claim that the foreign secretary level mechanism failed even to hold a single meeting due to the indifferences from the Indian side. The official, however, has nothing to claim that they had made efforts to hold the meeting of the mechanism even though the border disputes with India had widely surfaced during the period.
Though Nepal and India have border disputes in many places, it was widely resurfaced after India issued a political map in November 2019 placing the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura area of Darchula district within its territory.
Relations between Nepal and India became more strained after India inaugurated an 80-kilometer-long roadway that passes through Lipu Lekh without the knowledge of Nepal in 2020. In response, Nepal has also issued a new map by amending its constitution that shows the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura area within its own border.
India had refused even to accept a joint report of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG). The panel formed comprising experts from both the countries had finalized the report in 2018 incorporating the suggestions on ranges of suggestions including the regulations of borders between two neighboring countries.
