KATHMANDU: Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Monday refuted the remarks of Nepali Congress Lawmaker Pradip Giri who had said India would turn Nepal into Sikkim the day it could.

Speaking at the Parliamentary International Relations Committee on August 14, Giri had said the government should be careful about that fact. Gyawali said he could not believe a mature leader like Giri had made such remarks.

“If this is true, this is unacceptable. These types of remarks will only create unnecessary hiccups in bilateral relations. Nepal is an independent and sovereign country which was never a colony. We cannot even imagine that India would do something like that,” said Gyawali at a press briefing.

“Nepal government refutes such statements. It is beyond our imagination that Nepal’s independence will be compromised. This is also a question mark on the capability of the sovereign Nepali people.”