Speaking in Parliament on Sunday, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said it is not only that India has encroached on Nepali territories, but Nepal has also encroached on Indian territories.

“After becoming prime minister, I came to know that not only has India encroached on Nepal’s land, but Nepal has also encroached on India’s land in multiple places,” Prime Minister Shah said, while answering a question from Aaren Rai of Shram Sanskriti Party in parliament. “Both sides need to sit down and look into the matter.”

Replying to a separate question from UML deputy parliamentary party leader Padma Aryal on trade between India and China through Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, Shah said the disputes over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani would be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.

The prime minister said Nepal had already sent an official diplomatic note to India and received a response.

“The response states that both governments will form teams comprising historians, surveyors and experts familiar with the territory and seek a resolution through table talks,” Shah said.

He added that Nepal had also engaged in diplomatic discussions with China and the United Kingdom regarding the border dispute.

“We have spoken not only with India and China but also with the UK government. Our view is that the UK should also take an interest, as the issue dates back to the period when British India left the region,” Shah said.

Separately, he said the government would study and implement all reports submitted to it, including those from the National Human Rights Commission and the report on the Gen Z protests of September 8 and 9.

Responding to questions raised by different lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Shah said several reports awaited implementation and that the government would take action after reviewing them.

“Not only the Human Rights Commission’s report, but also the report on the events of September 8 and 9 and reports from various other commissions have been submitted to the government,” Shah said. “The government will study all of them and act accordingly.”

Responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the House of Representatives, he said that the government was working towards providing land and settlement arrangements for landless squatters and that the process would take time.

Saying that such matters should not be rushed, he said it would take as much time as necessary. He claimed that squatters living in risky conditions in Kathmandu had been moved to another place.

“Although it may appear that squatters were chased away, this is the implementation of a plan from four years ago. Those living in Kathmandu were prioritized,” he said. “The reason for giving them priority was floods and their health. The work was done to protect them from illness and risks to their lives.”

Earlier in the meeting, Shah sought time from Speaker DP Aryal to answer lawmakers’ questions. After the prime minister raised his hand to request time, the Speaker allowed him to use the House rostrum.

Shah said he was prepared to respond to lawmakers and requested time for questions that members had been seeking to raise for several days.

Following the request, Speaker Aryal allowed lawmakers to ask questions on behalf of their respective parties. Some lawmakers had earlier objected, questioning whether the process was in line with parliamentary rules.

In previous practice, the Speaker allocated a specific time for question-and-answer sessions with the prime minister, and lawmakers submitted their questions in writing beforehand.