# Nepal says original Sugauli Treaty papers missing amid border row

2026-08-13T17:36:07+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Nepal's foreign minister Shishir Khanal told Parliament the government does not have clear information on whether it possesses the original 1816 Sugauli Treaty, the document that defined the Himalayan nation's boundary with British India. Khanal said some treaty-related documents are in the National Archives but their status as official originals is unclear. The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India is also untraceable. The disclosure comes as tensions with India have risen after Nepal's prime minister Balendra Shah accused India of encroachment in Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. India has rejected the claims and any third-party role, saying 98% of the border is already demarcated. The missing treaty issue is not new: a parliamentary committee in July 2024 and an earlier inquiry in 2016 both failed to locate the originals.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-clear-information-nepal-loses-papers-of-centuries-old-treaty-defining-borders-with-india/articleshow/133215575.cms>
- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/nepal-border-claim-mystery120-year-old-treaty-papers-at-heart-of-dispute-with-india-go-missing-article-155610064>

Tags: historical archives, India-Nepal border, Lipulekh dispute, Nepal parliament, Treaty of Sugauli
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