Nepal FM Shisir Khanal says India boundary row ‘not as big as it is made out to be’

Kathmandu, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Thursday sought to play down the long-standing boundary dispute with India, saying such issues are an inevitable part of relations between neighbouring countries and are “not as big as it is made out to be”.

Speaking at NDTV World’s ‘Anviksha’ India-Nepal Dialogue, Khanal acknowledged that the two countries have “some issues” but said several established mechanisms are available to address them, including matters related to boundary and border management.

“Only neighbours will have boundary problems. If you’re not a neighbour, you would not have that problem,” Khanal said, highlighting the unusually open nature of the India-Nepal border.

He said most boundary-related work between the two countries had been completed, although a few politically sensitive areas remained contentious.

Nepal and India have a long-standing dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani. India maintains that the three areas are part of Uttarakhand. The territories are located near the India-China border and remain a sensitive issue in bilateral relations.

Khanal said both sides should maintain regular dialogue to address such matters and emphasised the importance of existing bilateral mechanisms meeting frequently.

“There are a couple of strong politically charged hotspots on both sides,” he said, adding that continued discussions could help the two countries arrive at a clearer understanding of the issues.

Khanal said he was encouraged that bilateral mechanisms had become active in recent months. He cited meetings held the previous week in Lucknow and Dehradun on border management as evidence of continued engagement.

“Several meetings have taken place, including last week in Lucknow and Dehradun on border management, so our mechanisms are active,” he said. “I feel that as we strengthen our existing institutions, we will be able to overcome the challenges we have.”

On the possibility of high-level visits between the two countries, Khanal said he expected Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake visits in 2026, although dates have not yet been finalised.

“There is a lot of anticipation of these high-level visits on both sides,” Khanal said, adding that both governments were working to arrange the visits at the earliest.