Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has said that the government does not have clear information on whether Nepal possesses the original official copies of the historic treaties signed with Britain and India.
Khanal made the statement while responding to a question raised by Nepali Congress Chief Whip Nishkal Rai during Monday’s meeting of the House of Representatives.
During the question-and-answer session with lawmakers, Rai asked whether Nepal has the original copy of the 1816 Sugauli Treaty with Britain and the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India.
The Sugauli Treaty has recently drawn renewed attention after Prime Minister Balendra Shah told Parliament that Nepal was in talks with the British government regarding the Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura border dispute with India. Shah also said that Nepal believes the British government should have a role in the matter.
The Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura border dispute is linked to the Sugauli Treaty signed between Nepal and British India on March 5, 1816.
Following the prime minister’s statement in Parliament, it was reported that the government had informally requested the British government to provide historical maps and documents related to the boundary established during the Sugauli Treaty.
Responding to Rai’s question, Foreign Minister Khanal said that although some documents related to both treaties are available at the National Archives, the government does not know whether they are the formal original treaty documents.
“As far as I know, we have some documents related to the 1816 and 1950 treaties. However, the Nepal government does not have clear information on whether these are the formal treaty documents themselves,” Khanal said.
He added that the National Archives has records related to some treaties, but it remains unclear whether they constitute the original official treaties.
