Nepal PM avers Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh & Kalapani are Nepali territories; 'ready to defend'

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday claimed that the disputed areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are parts of their territory, inciting again a territorial row with India. 

Addressing the question raised by the opposition in Parliament on not including the disputed areas in the lately announced plans and policies, PM Sher Bahadur Deuba said, "Nepal has been adopting the non-aligned foreign policy. The Government of Nepal always has kept national interest in front and worked on the issues of mutual benefits when it comes to its neighbours and other countries." He further said that his government is always ready to defend the territories of Nepal. "The Government of Nepal always is ready to defend its territories. The areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are Nepali and the Government of Nepal have a firm understanding of them," Deuba said.

Deuba called the border issues "sensitive" and said that they can be resolved through dialogues and diplomatic channels, adding further that his government is giving these issues proper space in the plan. "The issue of borders is sensitive and we understand that these issues can be resolved through dialogues and talks through diplomatic channels. Acting on it, we have been making our efforts through diplomatic channels. This issue has been given proper space in the plans and policies introduced by the government," PM Deuba said.

It is pertinent to mention that the three areas: Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are disputed areas between India and Nepal, which are been claimed by both the countries as their territories. Notably, in 2020, Nepal amended its constitution and incorporated a new political and administrative map in its preamble in which it included the tri-junction of Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh as its territory. Not only that, but it also included  Gunji, Kuti, and Nabi villages - which are a part of Uttarakhand. 

Kalapani-Lipulekh border dispute

The Lipulekh pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between India and Nepal. Both India and Nepal have claimed Kalapani as an integral part of their territory. In India, it falls in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district and in Nepal it is part of the Dharchula district.

Bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbours came under strain under then Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli after India opened an 80-km-long strategically vital road linking the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand in May 2020. India said the road section in Pithoragarh district lies completely within its territory. The Himalayan country opposed the inauguration of the road arguing that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal came out with a new political map showing Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as its territories. India responded sharply to the new map, calling it a "unilateral act" and cautioning Kathmandu that "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims would not be accepted.