Prime Minister Oli reaffirms Nepal’s stand on Kalapani map

UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. (File photo)

NL Today

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Kathmandu: Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has declared that nobody can alter Nepal’s new map which incorporates the territories of Kalapanai, Lipulekh, and Limpiyidhura.  Nepal issued a new administrative map including Kalapanai, Lipulekh and Limpiyidhura territories in June, 2020, which was endorsed by amending the constitution by Nepal’s parliament.

India claims and even occupies parts of these territories which historical facts and evidence show belong to Nepal.

PM Oli said so while speaking at the launch of the book Foreign Policy of Nepal: Orientation and Priorities written by Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at his official residence in Baluwatar. “Nobody can alter this map. Nor Nepal’s foreign policy which has broadened like the expanded map,” he said.

PM’s remarks come at a time when he is widely perceived to have compromised Nepal’s territorial claim in exchange for India’s support to his regime.

On the occasion, alluding to former Prime Ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai, Oli accused them of trying to invite foreign interference in domestic politics. “I hear them appeal for intervention in policy matters of Nepal. I hear them say ‘what is the neighbor waiting for?” 

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli unveils the book Foreign Policy of Nepal: Orientation and Priorities. (Photo: PM’s Secretariat)

PM Oli also said that Nepal stands by its ‘enmity with none, amity with all’ foreign policy philosophy. “This policy is about sovereign equality, peace and justice,” he said.

In a separate note, he also declared that Nepal will not receive foreign assistance in a haphazard manner.  “When we take out a loan, we first ensure that we do not fall into debt trap,” he said.

PM’s remarks come at a time when he is widely perceived to have compromised Nepal’s territorial claim in exchange for India’s support to his regime.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, who was Foreign Minister in theK P Oli’s government until June 4, acknowledged that Nepal has boundary related issues and issues surrounding the treaty of 1950 with India.   He said these issues will be resolved through dialogue.

Gyawali spoke about the “contestations” between China and the US and said that Nepal will maintain its relations with two superpowers based on its national interests.  Commenting on the BRI versus MCC debate, he said if the B3W proposed by the US president materializes, Nepal will have to take assistance through B3W as well. “If Nepal benefits from the B3W program, I would say we need to be a part of it too. We need connectivity and infrastructure. We want to be connected with the world,” he said. 

Former Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali speaks at the book launch. (Photo: RSS)

“We have already become a part of BRI. We need to exact maximum benefits from BRI,” he added.

Build Back Better World—known as B3W—is an infrastructure development initiative launched by US President Joe Biden in the G7 Summit on June 12.  It has been defined as an alternative to counter China’s BRI.

Gyawali’s book Foreign Policy of Nepal: Orientation and Priorities contains speeches and opinions he delivered on various national and international forums as the foreign minister.