PM Balen Shah’s ‘Nepal encroached India too’ remark triggers backlash at home

Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah sparked controversy in Parliament when he claimed that both countries had encroached on each other's territory, reigniting the long-standing border dispute between India and Nepal. The Nepali Foreign Ministry clarified that Shah’s statement referred to no-man’s land and instances of cross-border occupation, not official encroachment. Opposition lawmakers and experts criticized his remarks, while former ambassadors from both countries asserted that there is no evidence of Nepal encroaching on Indian territory. The dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani has been a point of contention between the two nations for years, with India claiming these territories as part of Uttarakhand and Nepal asserting their sovereignty.