PM Shah and the Burden of Words

Criticised for his prolonged silence in Parliament, Prime Minister Balen Shah finally addressed the federal legislature on Sunday. However, rather than easing concerns, his remarks sparked a fresh controversy, particularly over Nepal's sensitive border issues with India. Opposition lawmakers, already frustrated by what they see as their marginalisation in Parliament, strongly objected to his statement that “Nepal has also encroached upon Indian land.” Border experts, former diplomats and members of civil society were equally taken aback. This is perhaps the first time a Nepali prime minister—or any senior government official—has publicly suggested that Nepal has encroached upon Indian territory. The reaction is understandable. For decades, Nepal has consistently maintained that India encroaches upon territories it has maintained as its own as per the Sugauli Treaty that defines Nepal’s border with India. At the same time, successive Nepali governments have never officially argued that Nepal has similarly encroached upon Indian land. Consequently, the Prime Minister’s remarks were widely perceived as a departure from Nepal’s long-established position on the issue. Recognising the confusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) moved swiftly to clarify the Prime Minister’s statement. According to the ministry, he was referring to instances of cross-border occupation and cultivation in the Dashgaja, the no-man’s land along the open Nepal-India border. The MoFA explained that historical settlement patterns, geographical realities and the application of the Fixed Boundary Principle in riverine areas have created situations in which citizens of one country use or cultivate land that technically falls within the jurisdiction of the other.