India on Thursday restated its readiness for “dialogue” on the longstanding issue with Nepal over the strategically important Lipulekh Pass while also reiterating that the region is under Indian control.
This is the latest from India Ministry of External Affairs following the renewed arguments over the Lipulekh region earlier this week by Nepal. The dispute flared up again after reports emerged that India and China are considering using the Lipulekh Pass route in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district to allow the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
Neither the Kathmandu Valley authorities nor the authorities in Nepal were consulted on the finalisation of the route, and Lipulekh falls under Nepal’s sovereign territory, said Nepal on Sunday in its official objection to the pilgrimage arrangement. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said that Nepal had been asking for diplomatic engagement on the issue and the move was a violation of its territorial concerns.
India shot back, however, and said that Kathmandu’s claims were “untenable” and an “unilateral artificial enlargement” of territory. Indian authorities denied that the Lipulekh Pass had ever been a part of Pakistan, and that nothing is taking place outside India’s borders.
But Nepal doubled down on its stance on Monday. Nepal was not trying to add more land to its territory but was only claiming land that it considers to be part of the country, said government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel. He also stated that Nepal was ready to solve the issue peacefully with India through dialogue.
The Lipulekh issue has been a sensitive diplomatic issue for years between the two neighbouring countries, particularly after Nepal issued a new political map in 2020 that incorporated Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of its territory. Though the two sides have had some differences in the past, they have made repeated efforts to cultivate a robust bilateral relationship and settle any disputes between them through peaceful means.