A long-standing border dispute between Nepal and India has resurfaced after India and China announced plans to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh Pass.
The route, suspended after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, is set to reopen from June to August. Nepal has objected, arguing that the pass falls within territory claimed by Kathmandu. The Himalayan nation sent a diplomatic protest to both India and China over the proposed pilgrimage route. India, in turn, has rejected Nepal’s assertion, dismissing Kathmandu's territorial claims over the region as an "unilateral artificial enlargement." China so far has maintained its silence.
India, however, left room for dialogue and diplomacy. Randhir Jaiswal, India's external affairs ministry spokesperson, stated that New Delhi remains open to a constructive interaction with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including on resolving border issues through dialogue and diplomacy.
Instead of allowing competing claims to harden into diplomatic friction, all sides should prioritize dialogue and institutional diplomacy. India, Nepal and China should engage and seek solutions grounded in historical treaties, maps, established practices and mutual sensitivity.
Kathmandu maintains that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani — territories east of the Mahakali River — belong to Nepal under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty. It has also urged India to refrain from activities such as road expansion, border trade infrastructure and pilgrimage-related construction in the disputed area until the matter is resolved.
India has pushed back against these claims. The Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated that Lipulekh has served as an established route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for decades and that the present arrangement does not represent a new development.
The disagreement is not new. In 2020, Nepal unveiled a revised political map incorporating Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh within its borders. India rejected the move, describing it as a unilateral attempt to alter territorial claims. The same year, Kathmandu also objected to the inauguration of an 80-kilometer road linking Dharchula to the Lipulekh Pass, while New Delhi maintained that the road is entirely within Indian territory.
The issue resurfaced after India announced an understanding with China to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Lipulekh following its suspension. The pilgrimage carries deep religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains across the region.
As the two largest powers in the neighborhood, India and China should remain attentive to the concerns raised by smaller neighbors. Regional stability depends not only on economic or strategic cooperation, but also on sensitivity to the political anxieties of countries situated between major powers. Ignoring such concerns risks deepening mistrust in an already fragile geopolitical environment.
At the same time, Nepal’s leadership must pursue the issue through calibrated diplomacy. Public sentiment around sovereignty is understandable, but durable outcomes are achieved through sustained negotiations, institutional engagement and political restraint.
Source: Korea Times News
