Kathmandu, Jan 10: Ahead of crucial Nepal-India Foreign Minister level talks that are likely to focus on seeking long-term solution of the boundary dispute, Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday said they will retrieve the Nepali territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh which have long been “occupied” by India.
Addressing the National Assembly, he said that one of the prime items on the agenda of Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on his India visit is the boundary dispute.
Gyawali is visiting India on January 14 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar to participate in the sixth Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting at the Foreign Minister level.
As per the Sugauli Treaty, Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh are located east of the Mahakali River and belong to Nepal, Oli said. “We will hold diplomatic talks with India and our Foreign Minister is also going to India,” he said.
“Today, we are facing difficulties to get back our land because Nepali rulers never made efforts to reclaim Nepali territories after Indian military forces started to station there following the India-China war in 1962. After the India-China war, an Indian army battalion is stationed in Kalapani that Nepal has been claiming as its territory,” he said.
According to Oli, a notable initiative was made to solve problems in the relations with India by holding comprehensive dialogue.
