Darchula: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Ishwor Pokhrel today made an aerial inspection of Kalapani in the remote north-west part of the country.
The Deputy Prime Minister who had this morning left the district headquarters Khalanga for Kalapani inspected the area by a Nepal Army helicopter as the landing was not possible due to the presence of heavy snow at the site.
Kalapani is situated in Byas rural municipality of Darchula district bordering China to the north and India to the west.
It may be noted Nepal has been expressing its objection after India lately placed Nepali territories of Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura in its political map.
The Deputy Prime Minister and his team made the aerial inspection of the encroached Nepali territory as the situation did not permit the landing, said Far West state deputy speaker Nirmala Joshi Badal.
During the visit, he was made aware of Indian security posts set up at a distance of three kilometers along the border in Kalapani. He also observed the proposed site for establishing an Armed Police Force’s border security outpost (BOP).
On the occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by a team of 10 people including House of Representatives (HoR) member Ganesh Singh Thagunna, SA members Man Bahadur Dhami and Gelbu Singh Thagunna and his private secretary Deependra Shrestha.
India which has been long deputing its security force in the Kalapani area lately issued its political map, provoking the border dispute. Nepal says that it is committed to reclaiming its encroached territory.
In his address to a press meet organised by the Press Organisation Nepal at Khalanga, he, also the Defense Minister, said security posts on Nepal’s border would be added gradually.
He added that it had been decided to put the APF post at Byas for border security. ” The government will talk to India about the border issue face-to-face,” he said, adding, ” This is the first time the Nepal Government wrote a diplomatic note to India following the Sugauli Treaty and we will produce evidences that such (encroached) parts are belonged to Nepal.”
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