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Monitoring Desk: Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said that Nepal is now establishing an Armed Police Force border outpost (BoP) near Kalapani, a Nepali territory that has been occupied by India since decades.
A contingent of Armed Police Force, Nepal is leaving the Lipulekh area for border security after the Indian side unilaterally constructed the road. According to the Ministry of Home, the APF team will leave here for Byas Rural Municipality-1 in Darchula district for the establishment of Border Outpost (BOP).
Ministry’s Spokesperson Kedarnath Sharma said that the AFP personnel will head to Chhangru of Byas in a helicopter of the Nepal Army. Chhangru lies at the distance of one kilometer away from Indian territory and 14 kilometers from China’s.
In the first phase, 25 APF personnel will be deployed under the leadership of AFP, Nepal Inspector Mili Bahadur Chanda. The Ministry has chartered MI 17 Helicopter of Nepal Army to airlift the APF personnel. Nepal Army’s spokesperson Bigyan Dev Pandey said that the helicopter will fly on Wednesday morning if there remains favorable weather.
According to Republica Newspaper, while addressing at the International Relations Committee under the House of Representatives, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali stated that Border Outpost was (is) being set up at Chhangru of Byas Rural Municipality.
He added that a squadron of Armed Police Force (APF) will be permanently stationed at Chhangru area, near Kalapani, in a day or two, and a battalion of the APF will be stationed there gradually,” the foreign minister said.
Nepal Armed forces could not make its presence in Kalapani for several years
FM Gyawali admitted that the government had failed to safeguard the Nepali territories in the western frontier with India because it could not keep its presence there for a long time.
“It is very unfortunate that Nepal could not make its presence in Kalapani for several years,” he said.
The government’s decision comes a week after India inaugurated a strategic road to Manasarovar of China via Lipulekh, a Nepali territory. Lipulekh is located near Kalapani, a far western frontier of Nepal with India. Indian paramilitary forces have been stationed at Kalapani, a Nepali territory, for several decades. The Indian government has ignored Nepal’s call to remove the military forces, claiming Kalapani as its territory.
The APF headquarters said that a squadron of 35 APF personnel under the command of an APF Inspector will be stationed in the Chhangru area. “We are making preparations to deploy a team soon with logistics,” Prabin Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson for the APF, said.
Earlier, Nepal Police had stationed two units at Chhayalek of Tinkar and at Sitapul of Chhangru before it was shifted to Dumling of Byas Rural Municipality.
