India Rejects Nepal’s Untenable Territorial Claims Over Lipulekh Pass
New Delhi : India on Sunday flatly rejected Nepal’s objection to the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via the long-established Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, dismissing Kathmandu’s territorial claims over the region as “unilateral artificial expansion” which New Delhi finds “untenable”. New Delhi’s harsh reaction came just hours after Nepal’s foreign ministry issued a statement strongly objecting to India and China making preparations for the annual pilgrimage through the Lipulekh Pass without consulting Kathmandu, claiming that the area belongs to them.
Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will take place from June to August via two routes – Lipulekh Pass and Nathu La in Sikkim. Later, China also announced that it was making preparations for the pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has religious significance for Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists. The yatra was restarted last year after a gap of nearly five years as part of efforts to normalize relations between India and China.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India’s position on this issue has been consistent and clear. Lipulekh Pass has been a long-standing route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra since 1954 and the Yatra has been continuing via this route for decades.” he said.
“This is not a new development. When it comes to territorial claims, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence,” he said.
Jaiswal further added: “Such unilateral artificial expansion of territorial claims is untenable.”
The MEA spokesperson said India is open to “constructive interaction” with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including resolving agreed-upon unresolved border issues through “dialogue and diplomacy”.
In 2020, then Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli sought to use the border issue with India to deflect mounting domestic pressure and challenge its leadership.
Ties between the two countries have come under serious strain after Kathmandu published a new political map in 2020 showing three Indian regions – Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh – as part of Nepal.
India denied the allegations.
The statement, made weeks after Kathmandu’s rap singer and politician Balendra Shah became the prime minister, surprised New Delhi as it was thought that bilateral relations between the two sides would witness a significant upturn under his leadership.
Nepal’s foreign ministry’s objection to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Lipulekh comes days before Foreign Minister Vikram Misri’s planned trip to Kathmandu.
It was not immediately known whether the planned trip would be reviewed.
“The government of Nepal is clear and determined that Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, located east of the Mahakali river, are integral territories based on the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli,” Nepal’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The statement was included.
The statement said, “The Nepalese government reiterated its open attitude to both India and China regarding the Kailash-Mansarovar tour to be organized through Nepalese territory Lipulekh.”
It was stated that the Nepalese government had previously requested the Indian government not to engage in activities such as road construction, expansion, border trade and pilgrimage in the region.
The Ministry said that the Nepal government also informed China about this issue.
“The government of Nepal has always been committed to resolving the border issue through diplomatic channels based on historical agreement, understanding, facts, maps and evidence, considering the close and friendly relations existing between Nepal and India,” the statement said.
