Reporters Club Event: Leaders from all major political parties came together to express their stand on the current border dispute between India.

Leaders of the major parties stated that in the matter of national integrity and sovereignty there is unanimous support and that diplomatic means is the only best alternative to resolve the ongoing dispute.

The program was officiated by the President of the Reporters club and senior journalist Rishi Dhamala began by asking the leaders to express their parties’ opinion and personal perception of the current scenario. Dhamala asked “it is not only India who is the encroacher.

There is data available that shows that China has also encroached on Nepali territory in 11 different places. How do we resolve this, and why is the ruling party silent when it comes to China?” He also requested the leaders for their opinion regarding the performance of the current government, method of dispute resolution and the scenario of rampant corruption in the government.

Speaking on the program was General Secretary of the Rashtriya Janata Party Nepal (National People’s Party of Nepal) Keshav Jha, Central committee member of the Samajwadi Party (Socialist Party of Nepal) Dr. Shivaji Yadav, former Member of the Constituent Assembly and central committee member of main opposition party Nepali Congress Dr. Chandra Bhandari and Former Minister, Member of the House of Representatives and senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Som Prasad Pandey.

The leaders were unanimous in support of the current border dispute while maintaining their respective stance on resolving it through a high-level diplomatic channel initiated by the Government of Nepal (GoN).

KATHMANDU, Nov 11: Member of the House of Representatives (HoR) and the party presidium of Rashtriya Janata Party (National People’s Party) Mahendra Raya Yadav said that “since the area of Kalapani is a part of Nepal the Government of Nepal (GoN) should take immediate steps in order to bring it back”.

Speaking at a press interaction program organized at the Reporters Club HoR Yadav spoke on the current border dispute. “In a historic stand of unity a meeting was held in Baluwatar and all parties are in agreement. Our nation has a strong government.

The agreement yesterday has provided more strength to the GoN. The border dispute has been going on from the past 70 years and it is time that we take diplomatic steps and resolve this dispute through dialogue and diplomacy for lasting future”.

HoR Yadav said that we had taken several steps in the past, we made visits to India, but the matter remained unresolved. The secretary-level meetings and the subsequent committees were unable to solve the problem. The GoN now will have to take an active diplomatic step. There have to be three channels of academicians, technocrats, and politicians to resolve the dispute, and the GoN has to take this step.

“We won’t spare an inch of our space, we are united for our territorial integrity. The government has to seriously initiate a step”.

“It is a challenging but opportune moment for the GoN to take a step forward to seek a solution. It has unanimous support from all the parties including RJPN”.

“We will not yield results by protesting in the streets and the dispute won’t be resolved. We have to better our relations with India, and this responsibility has to be shouldered by the current government.

Protests create a distance, but dialogue and discussion would definitely bring a solution. Nepal has all the evidence with maps and historical records in place, so the entire land that has been encroached should be given back”.

KATHMANDU, Nov 4: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a press release regarding the matter of Kapani and Lipulek shown as part of India in their new map.

In the press release, it states that the government has taken notice of what has transpired over the news in several media sources.

The Government of Nepal (GoN) is clear on its stance on the Kalapani region being an integral part of Nepal.

The Government of Nepal has delegated duties to the foreign secretary for technicalities and consult with the Indian counterpart through a committee to resolve the dispute.

The remaining disputes relating to the border will be concluded mutually, we are making it clear that any decision taken unilaterally will not be accepted by the Government of Nepal.

The Government of Nepal is committed to protecting its international borders, and the dispute between two nations will be resolved through diplomatic channels taking into consideration historical documents and evidence.

India had always put Kalapani and Lipulek inside their state of Uttrakhand. In the Nepali map, Kalapani and Lipulek are shown as an integral part of Nepal.

(Director-General of the Nepal Survey Department Prakash Joshi) 

Likewise, the Director-General(D-G) of the Nepal Survey Department has stated that there is no need to be concerned regarding India taking out a new map regarding Kalapani and Lipulek. D-G Prakash Joshi said this in an interview with senior journalist and President of the Reporters Club Rishi Dhamala in his program “Janata Janna Chahancha” (People want to know) aired in Prime Times.

Previous disputes have been resolved, and the current dispute regarding the borders will have a conclusive resolution by 2020. The current map shows what India has been showing in its map all these years. He said “the issue of Kalapani and Susta exists because we have not been able to technically resolve the existing dispute”

The GoN will move diplomatic channels forward and it is hoped that all pending border issues will be resolved soon.