Revision as of 17:53, 7 October 2020

A brief history

1816, 1962, 2019

Dispute over Kalapani is continuing since 1960s, May 22, 2020: The Times of India

Map released by Nepal in May 2020
From: Dispute over Kalapani is continuing since 1960s, May 22, 2020: The Times of India

A new road connecting Dharchula (Uttarakhand) to Lipulekh Pass
From: Dispute over Kalapani is continuing since 1960s, May 22, 2020: The Times of India

Six months after India released its new political map placing Kalapani — an area that falls in the trijunction between India, China and Nepal — within its borders, Kathmandu unveiled a new map this week showing the region along with Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh areas in Uttarakhand as part of its territory. The dispute about the areas is not new; it has cropped up every now and then since the 1960s. What is the history of the dispute and reasons for current flare-up? TOI takes a look.

A river lies at the heart of the border issue

At present, Kalapani — a 372-sqkm area —is controlled by ITBP which has a post there since 1962. India claims Kalapani as part of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district while Nepal says it’s part of its Dharchula district. The Kalapani valley falls along the Indian route to Kailash-–Mansarovar in Tibet.

In 1816, the Sugauli Treaty signed between Nepal and British India said ‘west of the Kali river’ belonged to India. The treaty, however, did not mention the source of Kali which runs through Kalapani. British surveyors subsequently showed the origin of the river, with many tributaries, at different places. This digression has led to territorial disputes between the two countries. Nepal claims the river to Kalapani's west is the main Kali, and thus the country has territorial rights to the region. India holds that a ridgeline to Kalapani’s east is the border, thus Kalapani falls in India.

Another disputed area, the Lipulekh Pass atop Kalapani, is a mountain pass at the Uttarakhand-Nepal border. It was used as an ancient route for trade and pilgrimage but was temporarily closed following Indo-China war of 1962. The third areais Limpiyadhura, which Nepal claims is the origin of Kali, hence Kalapani and Lipulekh belong to Nepal.

Why is Kalapani territory significant?

A high mountain pass, Lipulekh is of strategic interest to New Delhi. It helps India track Chinese movements in the region. Kalapani’s significance is centuries-old for its location on the trade and pilgrim route to Tibet.

In 2000, during Nepalese PM Girija Prasad Koirala’s visit to New Delhi, the then Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to a study of Kalapani to resolve the border dispute. But it was never initiated. In 2014, the two countries again decided to settle the issue but no further progress was made. A year later, Nepal again raised objections when India and China came to an agreement to boost trade at Lipulekh Pass.

Build up to the current tensions

In November 2019, India released its new political map following the reorganisation of J&K. The map showed Kalapani as part of Indian territory. Kathmandu raised concerns and suggested talks be held on the dispute. Tensions grew early this month when defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80km-long high-altitude road from Dharchula (Uttarakhand) to Lipulekh Pass. The road is to serve as a faster route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims. Nepal expressed regret over the inauguration and claimed the road passed through its territory.

The issues

As in 2020

May 22, 2020: The Times of India

Six months after India released its new political map placing Kalapani — an area that falls in the tri-junction between India, China and Nepal — within its borders, Kathmandu unveiled a new map this week showing the region along with Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh areas in Uttarakhand as part of its territory. The dispute about the areas is not new; it has cropped up every now and then since the 1960s. What is the history of the dispute and reasons for current flare-up? TOI takes a look.

A river lies at the heart of the border issue

At present, Kalapani, a 372-sq km area, is controlled by Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which has a post there since 1962. The entire India-Nepal border is 1,758 km long. It is a porous open border. India claims Kalapani as part of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district while Nepal says it’s part of its Dharchula district. The Kalapani valley falls along the Indian route to Kailash–Mansarovar, an ancient pilgrimage site in Tibet. In 1816, the Sugauli Treaty signed between Nepal and British India said ‘west of the Kali river’ belonged to India. The treaty, however, did not mention the source of Kali which runs through Kalapani. British surveyors subsequently showed the origin of the river, with many tributaries, at different places. This digression has led to territorial disputes between the two countries. Nepal claims the river to Kalapani's west is the main Kali, and thus the country has territorial rights to the region. India holds that a ridgeline to Kalapani's east is the border, thus Kalapani falls in India.

Another disputed area, the Lipulekh Pass atop Kalapani, is a mountain pass at the Uttarakhand-Nepal border. It was used as an ancient route for trade and pilgrimage but was temporarily closed following Indo-China war of 1962. The third area that Nepal stakes claim to is Limpiyadhura, north west of Lipulekh, which according to the neighbouring country is the origin of Kali, hence Kalapani and Lipulekh in the east of Kali river belong to Nepal.

Why is Kalapani territory significant?

A high mountain pass, Lipulekh is of strategic interest to New Delhi. The pass is situated along the 80km-long Uttarakhand-Nepal border. The lowest point is 11,980 ft, the highest is 20,280 ft. It helps India track Chinese movements in the region. Kalapani’s significance is centuries-old for its location on the trade and pilgrim route to Tibet.

In 2000, during Nepalese PM Girija Prasad Koirala’s visit to New Delhi, the then Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to a study of Kalapani to resolve the border dispute. But it was never initiated. In 2014, the two countries again decided to settle the issue but no further progress was made. A year later, Nepal again raised objections when India and China came to an agreement to boost trade at Lipulekh Pass, which Nepal said lay in its sovereign territory.

Build up to the current tensions

In November 2019, India released its new political map following the reorganisation of J&K. The map showed Kalapani as part of Indian territory. Kathmandu raised concerns and suggested talks be held on the dispute. Tensions grew early this month when defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80 km-long high-altitude road from Dharchula (Uttarakhand) to Lipulekh Pass. The road is to serve as a faster route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims.

Nepal expressed regret over the inauguration and claimed the road passed through its territory. Its foreign ministry said, “The Government of Nepal has consistently maintained that as per the Sugauli Treaty (1816), all territories east of Kali (Mahakali) river, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh, belong to Nepal.” Earlier this week, a new map released by Nepal showed all three regions in its territory. Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli also said diplomatic efforts would be made to “bring back the territories”, sparking further tensions.

See also

Nepal-India relations