Parliament Passes Resolution Proposal On Kalapani Issue

Kathmandu / Jan 2 : A resolution proposal titled “On the Topic of Border Dispute Including Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura of Darchula under Farwest State of Nepal” has been presented in parliament today.

The preamble of the resolution states that the resolution has been presented urging the government to keep Nepal’s territory intact and to forge a unified national voice to remove the Indian army stationed at Kalapani area through diplomatic and high-level political initiative in a strong manner.

Whip of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Khimlal Bhattarai presented the resolution proposal in the meeting of the National Assembly today. Main opposition party, Nepali Congress whip Sarita Prasai seconded the proposal.

Tabling the proposal, NCP whip Bhattarai said including Nepali territories Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in India would not be tolerable to an indivisible Nepal. He stated that all the political parties have demonstrated unity in removing the Indian Army from these territories and a proposal has been registered urging the government to make strong diplomatic initiatives to that end.

It is stated in the resolution that the resolution proposal would help resolve the overall border problems including the Kalapani area as well as taking the initiatives regarding the border to conclusion. Lawmaker Bhattarai maintained that the problem related to the source of the Mahakali River and the Nepal-India border should be resolved on the basis of the principle of ‘international river’. The resolution states that all the evidence guaranteed that the said territories belonged to Nepal.

Bhattarai also shared that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in a telephone conversation on Wednesday besides exchanging best wishes also talked on resolving the border problem. Stating that many problems related to the border are concerned with the country’s southern border, he called for working in unision for resolving the problems related to the northern border as well.

Backing the proposal, Whip of the main opposition party, Prasai said the ruling and the opposition parties have presented the joint proposal for the sake of national unity. She said a strong diplomatic initiation has not still been made by the government for resolving the problem after India issued its political map placing Nepali territories inside India.

Stating that India has carried out an act which has hurt the Nepalis’ sentiments, she said the Nepali people have been demanding the government take diplomatic initiatives to resolve the problem. “Why has the government not been able to do anything regarding this despite the public support and who is stopping the government from giving information regarding what is being done to resolve the problem,” Prasai wondered, reiterating that initiatives should have been taken before this at the Prime Minister’s level.

Lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari said the dispute that was underlying came to the surface after the publication of its political map by India. He stressed on the need of resolving the border dispute by holding talks at the Prime Minister’s level on which is the real source of the Kali River.

Adhikari also suggested that the government should also move ahead establishing border security outposts and constructing road to the border with priority.

Lawmakers Sher Bahadur Kunwar and Thagendra Prakash Puri said it was a matter of happiness that a proposal has been brought for resolving the problem and stressed working towards that with unity.

Lawmaker Brishesh Chandra Lal reiterated that the problem should be resolved by means of talks and at the diplomatic level. He said the resolution of the dispute with China regarding the Mt Everest by Nepal’s first people-elected Prime Minister the late BP Koirala through talks and diplomacy could be taken as an example in the context of the present dispute. He demanded that the proposal should have included resolving border disputes at all places rather than focusing on single place.

Lawmaker Pramila Kumari said her party would support the proposal to resolve the problem through diplomatic initiatives. Lawmaker Jeevan Budha said the topic of defending Nepal’s territory has been raised and not that Nepal was asking for Indian territories. RSS