Kathmandu, November 8

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called an all-party meeting at 4:00pm in Baluwatar tomorrow to discuss recently-published Indian political map that depicts disputed Kalapani area as its territory.

PM Oli’s Press Adviser Kundan Aryal said the prime minister wanted to discuss the issue with all the parties represented in the Parliament amidst the need for holding dialogue with India on solving the border issue.

The government has already made its position clear on the issue, stating that Kalapani region is Nepali territory, and Nepal does not accept any decision taken by India unilaterally.

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said that any outstanding issues related to border between India and Nepal should be resolved on the basis of mutual agreement.

“Nepal is committed to protecting its international borders. Nepal is steadfast in its commitment that any border-related issues between the two friendly nations should be resolved through diplomatic channels based on historical documents and facts and proofs,” MoFA had said in its statement.

All parties, including the main opposition Nepali Congress, have also made public their views. NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba yesterday held a telephone conversation with Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, stating his and his party’s serious attention had been drawn towards the latest Indian political map.

Amid wide criticism and protests in Nepal, India yesterday said the new map accurately depicted the sovereign territory of India and the new map had in no manner revised India’s boundary with Nepal.

Spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar said in a press conference that the boundary delineation exercise with Nepal was ongoing under the existing mechanism. “We reiterate our commitment to find a solution through dialogue in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations. At the same time, I think this is very important to note that both sides should guard against vested interests trying to create a rift between two countries,” Kumar said.

Both Nepal and India claim Kalapani as their territory. The region has been occupied by Indian security forces since 1962, and it remains disputed ever since.

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