India on Sunday rejected Nepal’s objection to the planned Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh Pass, stating that Kathmandu’s territorial claims are “neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence”.
Earlier in the day, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had raised concerns about the yatra being conducted through what it claimed is “Nepali territory”.
It stated that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani east of the Mahakali River are integral parts of Nepal based on the 1816 Sugauli Treaty.
The new Balen Shah government in Kathmandu said that it had conveyed its position to India and China through diplomatic channels and had consistently urged New Delhi “not to carry out any activities such as road construction or expansion, border trade and pilgrimage in the area”.
New Delhi responded by saying its position on the matter has been “consistent and clear”.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that Lipulekh Pass has been used as a route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra since 1954 and that the pilgrimage has taken place along the route for decades.
Jaiswal said that the yatra was not a new development and described Nepal’s position as a “unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims” that is “untenable”.
He added that India is open to “constructive interaction with Nepal”, including on resolving outstanding boundary disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
On Thursday, New Delhi announced that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will take place between June and August through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.
The border problem between the two countries began in 2019 after Kathmandu objected to a new map released by India, which showed the Kalapani area, where Lipulekh Pass is located, as part of Indian territory. Nepal claims the Kalapani-Limpiadhura-Lipulek area as its own.
In response, New Delhi said that it had not made any change to its border with Nepal and that the new map depicts Indian territory accurately.
The tensions escalated in May 2020 when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh Pass.
Nepal has repeatedly claimed that India’s decision to build the road was a breach of a bilateral agreement. Kathmandu claims the Lipulekh Pass on the basis of the Sugauli Treaty signed with British colonisers in 1816.
In June 2020, the Nepali Parliament amended its Constitution to include a new political map of the country featuring the Kalapani-Limpiadhura-Lipulek area as its territory.
|
