Tag: Pradeep Gyawali

Neighbours May Have Concerns, but No Interference Accepted: Nepali Foreign Minister

A day after co-chairing the Joint Commission Meeting with Indian external affairs minister, Pradeep Gyawali met reporters and answered questions about China’s role in Nepal.

New Delhi: Nepal’s close neighbours may have “concerns”, but the government does not accept interference from outside, Nepalese foreign minister Pradeep K. Gyawali said on Saturday.

A day after co-chairing the Joint Commission Meeting with Indian external affairs minister, Gyawali met with reporters, where he answered questions about China’s role in Nepal.

Following the dissolution of the lower house of parliament by Prime Minister K.P. Oli, the ruling Nepal Communist Party is likely to be split, with the rival camp under Pushpa Kamal Dahal having severe differences with Oli.

As per Nepalese media reports, China has been very active in trying to avert the split, with the Chinese envoy having hectic parleys with all factions. China had also sent a high-level delegation to Nepal to “assess” the political situation.

During the media interaction, Gyawali was asked on China’s enhanced activity in Nepalese polity.

“Nepal’s relation with both countries (India and China) is excellent. We never compared relations with others. We never accept interference in our domestic politics… We are able to settle our problems ourselves. Yes, being close neighbour, there may be some concerns, questions, but we never accept interference from external side,” he said.

This time, India has kept a very low-profile and worked hard to give the perception that it is not interfering in Nepalese politics.

However, just before Gyawali’s trip, Dahal had accused Oli of splitting the ruling party and dissolving parliament at “the direction of India”.

When asked about Dahal’s remarks, Gyawali dodged the question, stating that as foreign minister outside the country, he represents all of Nepal, including Dahal and the divided party faction.

Incidentally, the Nepalese foreign minister did not meet with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon. Modi had a busy schedule due to the roll-out of the vaccination drive. Earlier in the day, Gyawali had called on the Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh.

Before leaving, Gyawali asserted that India and Nepal had made a “common commitment” that the remaining segments of the boundary will be settled soon. “In which modality, it is under discussion”.

“Sanctity of the border is extremely important to make it secure. Demarcation is extremely important,” he added.

Gyawali also called for the Eminent Persons Group report, which was completed in 2016 to revise the 1950 treaty of friendship and peace “should be submitted, studied thoroughly and implemented gradually”.

Start Conversation on Remaining Disputed Segments to Settle Boundary: Nepal to India

Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali stressed on the fact that building and nurturing trust “is absolutely essential” for the health and harmony of relations between the two countries.

New Delhi: After holding formal talks, Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali on Friday reiterated that it wants to start a “conversation” on solving the outstanding territorial dispute in order to instil “greater degree of trust and confidence” in the relationship.

On the second day of his 3-day visit, Gyawali co-chaired the Joint Commission meeting with Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.

The Indian read-out of the talks only mentioned that border management among the slew of topics that were discussed during the day. The Nepali foreign ministry’s press release, however, claimed that the meeting “discussed boundary matter and expressed the commitment to early completion of the boundary works in the remaining segments”.

Later, at a speech at MEA’s think-tank, Indian Council of World Affairs, Gyawali stressed that building and nurturing trust “is absolutely essential” for the health and harmony of the relations.

Also Read: Border Issue with Nepal Is Not Part of Joint Commission Meeting: India

“In this spirit, we desire to start the conversation with a view to resolving the question of boundary alignment in the remaining segments. Many of you may be aware that Nepal and India share over 1,800 km long international boundary most of which is jointly mapped. Only in the stretches of some kilometres, the work remains to be completed,” he stated.

The Nepali leader stated that if the boundary alignment in the remaining segments is settled, it would help “help generate positive vibe in public sentiment as well as help instil [a] greater degree of trust and confidence in bilateral relations”.

At the same time, he added that both sides have “shown wisdom that despite the difference in one area, the momentum of our overall engagements is continued”.

“We are also mindful that we should not let any outstanding issue between us be there forever and become irritant in an otherwise friendly relationship,” added Gyawali.

During a question and answer session, Gyawali recounted that India and Nepal had already produced 182 strip maps of the boundary, except for Susta and Kalapani segments.

He added that there was a discussion on the “mechanism” to resolve this outstanding issue, but did not elaborate further.

The Nepali foreign minister’s visit takes place after relations had gone downhill over the disputed border territories in the past year. Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who came to power on a platform of Nepali nationalism, had aggressively raised the border dispute since India had released the political map of the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories in November 2019.

Indian officials had pointed out that the country’s official political maps had always incorporated the territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh.

Nepal wanted immediate foreign secretary-level talks with India, but New Delhi demurred, pointing out that there was a change in personnel at the post.

There was another jolt to the relations when the Nepali parliament changed its constitution to include a map with the disputed territories, after India had opened a new road to Lipulekh on the Indo-China border.

Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali speak at the Indian Council of World Affairs. Photo: Twitter/@EONIndia

‘Right atmosphere’

India had cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a key reason for not having talks on the boundary issue, but had also put the onus on Kathmandu to create the “right atmosphere”.

Following the Nepali prime minister’s phone call to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to convey wishes for Independence day, there was a slow thaw in tensions, with a series of Indian officials visiting Kathmandu in past few months of 2020. In December, Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Nepal.

Nepal is also in the midst of tumultuous political changes after the House of Representatives was dissolved on the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli.

Also Read: We Will Get Territories Back From India: Nepal’s PM Oli

The other important issue touched upon during the talks was the matter of supply of COVID-19 vaccines. Nepal requested early access to vaccines, which India said would be given “priority consideration”.

The Motihari-Amlekhganj petroleum products pipeline will be expanded to Chitwan, with another new pipeline on the eastern side connecting Siliguri to Jhapa in Nepal also in the works.

There was also an agreement to expedite work on hydropower projects, including the Pancheswar dam.

Nepal noted that the two countries also agreed to expedite work on the 400 kilovolt Butwal-Gorakhpur cross-border transmission line.

“In order to facilitate cross border trade of electricity from projects like these, our two countries concluded a bilateral Power Trade Agreement in 2014 incorporating the provision about free trade of electricity. Power traders and developers are awaiting issuance of a facilitative procedures for cross border electricity trade. Nepal’s desire is to see an early possibility of unhindered trade of electricity among at least the BBIN countries,” said Gyawali.

Border Issue with Nepal Is Not Part of Joint Commission Meeting: India

Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to hold delegation-level discussion with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.

New Delhi: Ahead of official talks, India indicated that the boundary issue will not be discussed during the joint commission meeting chaired by Nepali and Indian foreign ministers.

Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to hold delegation-level discussion with his host, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.

Last week, Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Oli told the upper house of parliament that Gyawali would talk about the border dispute with his Indian counterpart during his trip.

However, the Indian side made it clear that there will be no substantive talks on the boundary dispute.

“Our position on the boundary issue is well known. Let me say that the joint commission meeting and boundary talks are separate mechanisms,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at a weekly online briefing on Thursday.

He added that the joint commission meeting was an “opportunity of reviewing at a high level the entire gamut of our bilateral partnership and providing political guidance to further enhance the special and unique ties that we enjoy”.

Also read: We Will Get Territories Back From India: Nepal’s PM Oli

However, the Kathmandu Post reported that Gyawali reiterated that the boundary issue would be discussed at the joint commission meeting.

“I am not aware of India’s statement,” Gyawali told the Kathmandu Post. “But this [joint] commission is for discussing all bilateral issues, including the boundary.”

Relations between Nepal and its southern neighbour had gone off the rails since November 2019, when Kathmandu objected to a new political map released by India, claiming that it had incorporated the territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh. After India opened a road to Lipulekh, Nepal upped the ante by releasing a new political map and changing the constitution to embed the boundaries in its national emblem.

The Oli administration had called India for foreign secretary-level talks on the boundary dispute, but New Delhi had demurred.

However, the ties had improved in the last few months with Oli reaching out to India. The Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had also visited Kathmandu previous month.

The foreign minister’s visit takes place after the lower house of parliament was dissolved and general elections are scheduled to be held in April-May.

Amid Talk of Export Ban, Nepal Foreign Minister Says Country Looks to India for Vaccine

Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that the Himalayan country has asked to be on the “priority list for sending vaccines” and that “details are being worked out” with India.

New Delhi: A day after India authorised two vaccine candidates for COVID-19, Nepal on Monday said that the country is still in talks with New Delhi to obtain vaccines in suitable numbers in line with assurances that they were on the “priority list”.

Speaking to The Wire, Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali first congratulated India for its “success” in developing two vaccine candidates – Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

“We have already asked India to include Nepal in the priority list for sending vaccines,” he stated. India, he added, had given assurances on that front.

While India’s drug controller general has granted emergency authorisation, it has also made it conditional that Serum Institute cannot export the vaccine shots for several months.

When asked if Nepal is concerned about the current ban on exports, Gyawali noted that Nepal and India were in “close touch” to work out the modalities. “Details are being worked out,” he said.

He noted that both countries had decided on “proper coordination” for the vaccination process. Asked to elaborate, the Nepali foreign minister stated that both countries having an open border and that “if one country is left behind, then our efforts to combat COVID-19 will not be productive”.

Gyawali stated that Nepal has already given India the number of vaccines required to protect its population. “Nepal has a population of 28 million, and we want to vaccinate 21 million. About 28% of the population are children below 14 who will not be vaccinated,” he said.

Also read: Nepal Warns of Healthcare Crisis as Coronavirus Infections Cross 100,000

In reply to a question about whether China has also been approached for vaccines, the Nepal foreign minister said that “all friendly countries” have been requested to include the Himalayan nation on their priority list.

Gyawali explained that his government would have to decide on an appropriate vaccine based on price, storage and effectiveness. “Our storage capacity can maintain a temperature between two and eight degrees (centigrade), so we can’t store it for doses which have to be stored at minus 20 degrees,” he said.

On Monday, Nepal recorded 403 new cases of COVID-19 and seven fatalities, bringing the total number of infected persons to over 2.6 lakh. Nepal’s death tally so far has been 1,885.

Disinfectant is sprayed towards the street from a vehicle amid the spread of COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal, October 9, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar

Neighbourhood assurances

Nepal is not the only country which has a stake in India’s COVID-19 vaccine programme. India has given assurances that it would take care of the needs of its neighbourhood.

In the last bilateral summit of 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina that India would take “special care of your needs” regarding vaccines.

On November 5, the Bangladesh government had also signed a trilateral agreement with Serum Institute of India and Beximco Pharmaceuticals to obtain 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Dhaka Tribune quoted the chief operating officer of Beximco, Rabbur Reza as stating that despite reports of the so-called export ban, he was sure that Bangladesh would receive its share.

“We hope to get the vaccine as per the agreement,” Reza said, adding, “We have spoken with Serum (Institute of India) even today. They have assured us.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh health minister Zahid Maleque stated that Dhaka was seeking clarifications from New Delhi.

“We have heard about the embargo on exporting vaccines. We are communicating through the foreign ministry; we have also talked to the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh. We hope the contract with SII will not be hampered and we will get vaccines as per the contract,” he stated at a briefing.

In Thimphu, Bhutan prime minister Lotay Tshering said in an address to the nation that his government was prepared to get vaccines from India.

As per sources, the decision on the vaccine distribution will be taken based on availability, but it was too early to say just a day after authorisation.

India is likely to give some vaccines on a grant basis and provide discounts for close neighbours and partners – just as it did on the supply of malarian drug HCQ in the early months of the pandemic.

India had also banned the export of HCQ, but later removed restrictions for specific countries on a case-by-case basis.

Map Issue or Development?: Nepal-India Ties Remain Under Cloud of Agenda Setting

After visits by three Indian dignitaries, Nepal’s foreign minister is likely to visit New Delhi soon. But the meetings remains points of disagreement as the two countries cannot decide on what to prioritise.

Kathmandu: The recent series of visits by Indian representatives to Nepal and the Nepal foreign minister’s planned visit to New Delhi clearly shows that both sides are keen to improve their strained ties. However, the two sides are still clashing when it comes to which issues deserve priority in discussions.

From the last week of October to the last week of November this year, three Indian dignitaries, R&AW chief Samanta Kumar Goyal, Army chief General M.M. Naravane and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla have visited Nepal and held extensive talks with Nepali politicians and officials on improving ties.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali is likely to visit New Delhi in the second week of this month to attend the Joint Commission meeting of two countries which takes place once every two years.

During his Nepal visit, the Indian Foreign Secretary had formally invited Gyawali to participate in the meeting. Along with high-level engagements, both sides are all set to resume the meeting of bilateral mechanisms which are mandated to deal with various thematic areas and issues.

Despite the resumption of talks, the two countries cannot appear to agree on which agenda gets priority. Nepal is of the view that the map dispute between two countries that resurfaced in November last year should gain precedence.

During the Indian Foreign Secretary’s visit to Nepal, the map issues were not on the official agenda but Nepal’s foreign minister, prime minister, and president all took it up. The official statement issued by both sides after the visit has touched upon the boundary issues but it does not imply that it is about map issues.

Interestingly, the statements separately issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs Nepal and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu has the same sentence regarding map issues. It says: “They also discussed the boundary matters and exchanged views on completing the boundary work in the remaining segments.”

Also read: During Indian Foreign Secretary Visit, Nepal Raises Boundary Issue

In the coming Joint Commission meeting, Nepal wants to make the map issue an official agenda with the argument that even in the past, the commission had discussed the border disputes in Kalapani and Susta. The Joint Commission held in 2014 had directed the foreign secretaries of both countries on a plan for Kalapani and Susta and the issue was eventually figured out during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal.

The joint press statement issued after Modi’s visit to Nepal said that the two prime ministers also underlined the need to resolve all pending Nepal-India boundary issues once and for all. It welcomed the formation of the Boundary Working Group (BWG) to undertake the construction, restoration, and repair of boundary pillars including clearance of ‘no man’s land’ and other technical tasks.

The statement further added: “They also welcomed the Joint Commission’s decision to direct the Foreign Secretaries to work on the outstanding boundary issues, including Kalapani and Susta receiving required technical inputs from the BWG as necessary. The Indian side stressed the early signing of the agreed and initialed strip maps of about 98% of the boundary. The Nepalese side expressed its desire to resolve all outstanding boundary issues.”

Map of the Kalapani region. Source: The Annapurna Express

The long-standing border dispute has entered into a new chapter after both countries came up with their respective maps on Kalapani last year. The fact that there have not been any foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries have made matters worse.

Nepal is of the view that the issue should be resolved sooner than later through the exchange of historical proofs and documents. Nepal on its side has collected pieces of evidence through the formation of an expert panel. However, the Indian side does not seem keen to discuss map issues now. India has been asking Nepal to focus on their development partnership, connectivity projects, including the Pancheshwor Multipurpose Projects, and other bilateral issues.

Another issue that Nepal wants to sort out immediately is the report of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) which has been gathering dust since 2018. There has been no mention of the EPG report in statements and speeches during the Indian foreign secretary’s visit to Nepal.

Submission of this report would initiate dialogue on the amendment of the 1950 Treaty, which is in Nepal’s interest. However, the Indian side has been unwilling to receive the EPG report.

There was talk of the EPG report in the Joint Commission meeting held in Nepal in 2019. The statement issued after the meeting says: “Views were exchanged on the review of Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 and submission of the report of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR).”

Nepal is firmly of the view that this should become the agenda of the joint commission meeting.

Meanwhile, there is domestic pressure on Nepal Communist Party chairman K.P. Sharma Oli and his government to sort out these matters as soon as possible.

Also read: With Nepal’s Ruling Party in Another Power Tussle, Govt Stability Could Be Threatened

In the past five years, we have seen such encouraging development in ties between the two countries, which did not last for a long time. For example, in 2014, there was high optimism that the relationship would take on new heights but that spirit did not last for a long due to the Indian economic blockade in 2016.

After the blockade, there were serious efforts to repair ties but domestic political changes in Nepal created roadblocks.

In 2018, when Oli formed a strong government, there was again hope of cordial ties between the two countries, which did not last long.

Kamal Dev Bhattarai is a Kathmandu-based journalist and writer. He writes on foreign policy issues. 

During Indian Foreign Secretary Visit, Nepal Raises Boundary Issue

The boundary issue was raised during all the meetings that Harsh Shringla held, including the one with Nepali PM K.P. Oli.

New Delhi: Nepal’s leadership raised the boundary issue with Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, with both sides discussing ways to hold talks under an appropriate bilateral mechanism.

Shringla arrived in the Nepali capital on Wednesday morning on his first trip as foreign secretary. He was received by his Nepali counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyel at the airport, where he also made remarks in Nepali to the local media.

His first meeting was delegation-level talks with foreign secretary Paudyel, followed by appointments with President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister K.P. Oli and foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali. He also handed over 2,000 vials of Remdesivir to the Nepal government as aid to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Nepali media reports, the boundary issue was raised during all the meetings by Shringla’s Nepali interlocutors.

Nepal claims that India has encroached its territories in Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, which New Delhi emphatically denies. The boundary dispute had first flared up November 2019 and peaked with Nepal parliament amending its constitution in June this year to incorporate those areas into its official logo in June this year.

The visit of the Indian foreign secretary had been highly anticipated as it is expected to heal some of the rifts that have developed over the past year.

As per Online Khabar, a Nepali news portal, the country’s foreign minister Gyawali said that all issues were discussed, including those “outstanding from history” like the border issue and the pending approval to the report of the Eminent Persons Group. “We want to resolve border disputes based on historical facts and proofs,” Gyawali told the website.

Harsh Shringla with Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Photo: Twitter/IndiaInNepal

The Nepal foreign ministry stated in a press release that the two foreign secretaries “discussed the boundary matters and exchanged views on completing the boundary work in the remaining segments”.

Indian government sources stated that both sides “shared their perspectives on boundary matters and discussed ways to take it forward under the appropriate bilateral mechanisms” during the formal discussions.

On the meeting with Prime Minister Oli, sources said that there had been a “candid review” of the state of the bilateral relationship, with the Nepali leader conveying a desire to enhance the level of bilateral engagement.

“The special relations between India and Nepal, and the importance of respecting each other’s sensitivities was noted. Both sides felt that we should focus on the positives of the wide-ranging relationship,” they underlined.

There were discussions on specific projects, including the Pancheswar Multipurpose project and other economic initiatives.

Following the foreign secretary’s visit, other high-level visits are also expected to take place, which was discussed during these meetings. The Indian foreign secretary conveyed an invitation to the Nepali foreign minister to visit India for the next round of the joint commission meeting.

“The need to resume people to people contacts, including commencement of an air travel bubble between India and Nepal, was discussed,” added sources.

Shringla will give a talk at a Kathmandu-based think tank, before going to Gorkha district to inaugurate three schools re-built with Indian assistance. He will also remotely inaugurate an India-funded project to renovate the Tashop Gompa monastery in Manang district.

Nepal’s Armed Police Force Begins Patrolling at Disputed Border Point With India

Nepal has protested India’s construction of a road from Pithoragadh to the Chinese border, claiming a part of it passes through its territory.

Kathmandu: The Nepal government has deployed a team of its Armed Police Force (APF) at the Nepal-India border point of Lipulekh just a week after the Indian defence ministry inaugurated a link Road through territory Nepal claims as its own.

APF headquarters’ inspector Lili Bahadur Chand has been leading a team of 25 personnel at Gaga, Chhangru of Byas Rural Municipality-1, Darchula district since last Wednesday.

The APF border outpost was inaugurated by APF additional inspector general Narayan Babu Thapa the same day.

After the establishment of the border outpost, APF personnel have been patrolling the area regularly.

According to AIG Thapa, the troops were transported to Chhangru by a Nepal Army MI-17 helicopter.

The APF said that the border outpost has been established to protect Nepal’s western Border after India constructed a “Mansarovar link road” from Pithoragadh to the China border, including a section that Nepal insists is its territory.

This claim has been rejected by the Indian side.

Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told a parliamentary committee that successive governments in Kathmandu had failed to secure Nepal’s western territory with India because they did maintain their presence there for a long time.

The area of Chhangru lies at an altitude of 3000 to 5000 meters from sea level and is uninhabited.

Meanwhile anti-government protests in Nepal have continued. They are demanding that Prime Minister K.P. Oli talk to his Indian counterpart in order to safeguard ‘Nepal’s territory’, Lipulekh.

Nepal’s foreign ministry has released a press note stating that the eastern area (Lipulekh, Kalapani, Limpiyadhura) from the Mahakali river belong to Nepal’s territory.

Apart from senior leaders in ruling Nepal Communist Party, many of members of parliament have been demanding that the Nepal government print the country’s political map to show Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani as part of the country’s territory.

Army Chief Says Nepal Objected to India’s Link Road to Lipulekh at Someone Else’s Behest

Gen. Naravane said the reaction by the neighbouring country was surprising.

New Delhi: In an apparent indication to a Chinese role, Army Chief General M.M. Naravane on Friday said there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to India laying a road connecting the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand at the behest of someone else even as he asserted that the Army is dealing with incidents of face-offs with Chinese military on a case-by-case basis.

In an interaction at a defence think-tank, Gen. Naravane said India will have to remain “alive” to a scenario of a “two-front” war along the northern and western borders, but noted that he does not foresee the possibility of every confrontation leading to such a situation.

On the Army’s big-ticket proposal to induct youngsters for a three-year tenure under the Tour of Duty (ToD) concept, the Army Chief said the idea germinated following feedback from school and college students that they want to experience military life without opting a permanent career in the Army.

Gen. Naravane said the ToD will help the Army in cutting down revenue expenses on account of payment of pensions and other benefits.

Replying to a question, he said the Army has received an order from the government to cut expenditure by 20 per cent from the current fiscal due to the COVID-19 crisis, adding the force is implementing it without compromising on its combat readiness.

Expenditure is being cut through a variety of measures including restricting large movements of troops, he said in the video-conference organised by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

Also read: Nepal Foreign Minister Summons Indian Ambassador Over Lipulekh Boundary Issue

On Nepal raising objections to India laying the Lipulekh-Dharchula road, Gen. Naravane said the reaction by the neighbouring country was surprising.

“The area east of Kali river belongs to them. The road that we built is on the west of the river. There was no dispute. I don’t know what they are agitating about,” the Army Chief said.

“There has never been any problem in the past. There is reason to believe that they might have raised the issues at the behest of someone else and that is very much a possibility,” he said.

The 80-km-long strategically crucial road at a height of 17,000 feet along the border with China in Uttarakhand was thrown open by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last week.

Nepal on Saturday raised objection to the inauguration of the road, saying the “unilateral act” was against the understanding reached between the two countries on resolving border issues.

On two separate incidents of face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops, the Army chief said there was no link between the two, adding “We are dealing with them on a case-by-case basis. I have not seen any concerted design into the face-offs.”

On the two-front war, he said it is a possibility and that the country will have to remain prepared to deal with such a scenario.

“It is a possibility. It is not that it is going to happen every time. We have to be alive to all contingencies which can happen, various scenarios that can unfold. We have to remain alive to the possibility.

“But to assume that in all cases both fronts would be 100 per cent active, I think that would be an incorrect assumption to make. In dealing with the two-front scenario, there will always be a priority front and a secondary front. That is how we look at dealing with this two-front threat,” Gen. Naravane said.

He said the priority front would be addressed in a different manner while the secondary front will be kept as dormant as possible just to conserve resources to focus on the priority front.

“We should not look at a two-front scenario just as a military responsibility. A country does not go to war with its armed forces alone. It has other pillars like diplomatic corp and other organs of government which will come into play to make sure that we are not forced into a corner where we will have to deal with two adversaries at the same time and in full strength,” he added.

“I think that’s where the whole-of-the-nation approach will come into play,” said the Army Chief.

Nepal Foreign Minister Summons Indian Ambassador Over Lipulekh Boundary Issue

Kathmandu has made it clear that it cannot wait till the end of the COVID-19 crisis to hold boundary talks with New Delhi.

New Delhi: Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali has personally handed over a diplomatic note protesting a new road constructed by India, even as he told Nepali lawmakers that Kathmandu cannot wait till the end of the COVID-19 crisis to hold boundary talks.

On Monday afternoon, Nepal’s foreign ministry reported that Gyawali summoned the Indian ambassador, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, for a meeting and handed over a diplomatic note that “conveyed Government of Nepal’s position on boundary issues”.

The diplomatic note has been handed after two days of high political activity in Kathmandu, with ruling and opposition leaders urging the Nepal government to take a more forceful stance on the latest controversy over boundary with India.

The Indian embassy later tweeted that Kwatra explained India’s position on boundary issues and handed over MEA spokesperson’s response to the Nepal foreign minister.


The issue erupted after defence minister Rajnath Singh on May 9 inaugurated a new link road to Lipulekh on the Sino-Indian boundary, which would reduce the length of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Nepal issued a lengthy statement on Saturday, decrying India’s “unilateral” action, claiming that the road was encroaching onto territory claimed by Kathmandu as per the 1816 Sugauli treaty.

In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs had responded by saying that the road section “lies entirely within the territory of India”.

Also read: Nepal Protests India’s New Road to Lipulekh; ‘Entirely Within Territory,’ Responds New Delhi

India had also stated that it was ready for a meeting of the two foreign secretaries “once the dates are finalised between the two sides after the two societies and governments have successfully dealt with the challenge of COVID-19 emergency”.

On Monday, Nepali parliament’s international relations committee summoned Gyawali to discuss the boundary issue.

According to Kathmandu Post, Gyawali said that Nepal cannot wait for the coronavirus crisis to be over to hold talks with India. “We are ready for talks at any level with India – at the prime minister’s level or foreign secretary’s level,” he said.

Gyawali also told the parliamentary panel that a new border post will be set up near Kalapani, with a battalion of Armed Police Force to be stationed in the area.

The Nepali foreign minister reportedly said, as per Republica, that government had failed to safeguard Nepali territories in the western frontier with India as it could maintain a presence in the region on a long-term basis. “It is very unfortunate that Nepal could not make its presence in Kalapani for several years,” he said.

Nepal had first sought foreign secretary-level talks last year, after India had issued a new political map to show the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two new Union Territories. Nepal had objected as it showed Kalapani as part of Indian territory.

However, the meeting never took place, with India waiting for a new foreign secretary to take over and then the eventual COVID-19 crisis.

The latest boundary controversy is raising tempers in Kathmandu, with lawmakers from across the aisle condemning India for constructing the road and also trading political barbs during a meeting of Nepal’s House of Representatives on Sunday.

During a meeting of the Parliamentary state affairs and good governance committee on the same day, several members suggested that Nepal government should approach international court to resolve the boundary dispute.

This was reportedly rejected by both the Nepalese foreign minister Gyawali and the chairman of the ruling party, NCP, Pushpa Kamal Dahal.  “The time has not come to go in that direction,” Dahal said.