Since the Balen Shah government came to power in Nepal, another anti-India move has emerged. A controversy has erupted after Nepal’s national carrier, Nepal Airlines, shared a world map on social media that inaccurately depicted parts of India, triggering sharp reactions from Indian users online.
The issue began on 29th April, when Nepal Airlines posted a graphic on its official X account showing its global flight network. Nepal Airlines released a map showing all of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan and the entire Northeast India as part of China. The post quickly went viral, drawing criticism from Indian social media users, many of whom called out the airline for what they described as a serious and unacceptable error.
The map specifically depicted all of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan, which infuriated Indian netizens. Furthermore, the entire Northeast, including India’s northeastern states like Sikkim and Darjeeling, was also shown as part of China. This further angered Indian netizens. The Indian users are also demanding an apology for displaying such a misleading map.
Indian netizens expressed anger at Nepal Airlines
Hashtags related to Nepal Airlines and Jammu & Kashmir began trending, with users questioning how such a depiction could be shared by a national airline.
Several individuals expressed their concerns publicly. One user, Divya Gandotra Tandon, highlighted India’s long-standing ties with Nepal. Sharing a long post on X, she wrote, “India has kept Nepal’s economy breathing for decades… open borders, jobs for lakhs of Nepalis, trade access via Indian ports, fuel pipelines, power projects, disaster relief, infrastructure, scholarships, even military cooperation.”
India has kept Nepal’s economy breathing for decades… open borders, jobs for lakhs of Nepalis, trade access via Indian ports, fuel pipelines, power projects, disaster relief, infrastructure, scholarships, even military cooperation.
— Divya Gandotra Tandon (@divya_gandotra) April 29, 2026
And this is how Nepal Airlines responds?
A… pic.twitter.com/fbc7IxA8ds
Another reaction came from the official handle of the Assam Vocational Teachers Association, which termed the depiction “irresponsible” and called for accountability. The group stated that such errors, especially involving sensitive geopolitical boundaries, should be corrected immediately.
India has been Nepal’s biggest lifeline for decades, from open borders, lakhs of jobs, trade routes, fuel, power, disaster aid, infrastructure & more. Yet Nepal Airlines casually displays Jammu & Kashmir as part of Pakistan on its flight map.
— Vocational Teachers' Association of Assam NSQF (@VTAA_NSQF) April 29, 2026
Highly irresponsible. Fix it… pic.twitter.com/bHS7ilTN9e
Public figures also weighed in. Bhojpuri actor and RJD leader Khesari Lal Yadav also wrote, “Can anyone tell me what Nepal Airlines was thinking in such a way that it tampered with the map of India, and that too with Jammu and Kashmir? This is no ordinary thing; it seems to have been done deliberately. This is called teasing.”
कोई बता पाएगा की क्या सोच के नेपाल एयरलाइंस भारत के नक्शे में ऐसा छेड़ छाढ़ किया है और वो भी जम्मू कश्मीर को लेकर ?
— Khesari Lal Yadav (खेसारी) (@khesariLY) April 29, 2026
ये मामूली बात नहीं है, जानबूझकर किया हुआ काम लगता हैं। इसको चिढ़ाना बोलते हैं। https://t.co/d1R5ZzzeSq
Meanwhile, another social media handle, “The Darjeeling Chronicle,” also criticised the map and wrote, “The world is different from what Nepal Airlines sees. Looking at their map, it seems that the entire northwest of India, the entire northeast, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and even parts of Myanmar have been incorporated into China. What are people in Kathmandu blowing these days?”
DFQ – The world according to Nepal Airlines
— The Darjeeling Chronicle (@TheDarjChron) April 29, 2026
Seems like for them most of North West and all of North East India, including Darjeeling, Sikkim and Mayanmar are part of China
What they smoking in Kathmandu these days??
CC: @ShahBalen @nepalinindia @IndiaInNepal @MEAIndia… https://t.co/QrlW2WxQGP pic.twitter.com/YpHuCUYvL2
Nepal Airlines apologised
As the criticism intensified, Nepal Airlines responded with a public apology. In its statement, the airline acknowledged the error and said it “sincerely regrets” the inaccuracies in the map shared on its social media platform. The airline clarified that the depiction of international boundaries in the graphic was incorrect and did not reflect the official position of either Nepal Airlines or the Government of Nepal.
We sincerely apologize for error in the network map recently shared on our social media channels. The map contained significant cartographic inaccuracies regarding international boundaries that do not reflect the official stance of Nepal or Nepal Airlines. pic.twitter.com/E5MZSS8CjQ
— Nepal Airlines🇳🇵 (@NepalAirlinesRA) April 30, 2026
The airline further assured that the issue was being taken seriously and that such mistakes would be avoided in the future. The apology, however, came only after the post had already sparked widespread backlash online.
Nepal’s anti-India stance and the turmoil in the Balen Shah government
It’s worth noting that Nepal’s anti-India stance has been on the rise since the new Balen Shah government took office last month. Recently, the Balen Shah government introduced a new customs policy, under which customs duties were imposed on goods imported from India worth more than 100 Nepalese rupees (approximately ₹63). This also led to protests against the Balen Shah government.
And it’s no secret that the Balen Shah government is facing a deadlock over its own decisions, with several of its top ministers facing corruption charges, forcing them to resign. Overall, the new Balen Shah government is proving incapable of running the country.
(This article is a translation of the original article published on OpIndia Hindi.)
