India Rejects Nepal's Lipulekh Pass Territorial Claims, Opens Door for Diplomacy

India on Sunday firmly rejected Nepal's territorial claims over Lipulekh Pass, saying they are "neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence," as Kathmandu objected to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra being routed through the disputed region.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), responding to media queries on comments made by Nepal's Foreign Ministry, said India's position on the matter has been "consistent and clear."

"Lipulekh Pass has been a long-standing route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra since 1954 and the Yatra through this route has been going on for decades. This is not a new development," the Official Spokesperson said.

On Nepal's territorial assertions, the MEA said, "Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable."

India, however, left the door open for diplomacy. "India remains open to constructive interaction with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy," the spokesperson said.

What triggered the row?

Nepal's Foreign Ministry, in a statement posted on social media on Sunday, objected to India and China planning to conduct the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh Pass, claiming it is Kathmandu's territory. Nepal said it was not consulted before the route was finalised.

"The Nepal government is clear and fully committed to its stand that Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, lying in the east of the Mahakali river are its inseparable territories based on the Sugauli Treaty of 1816," the Nepalese Foreign Ministry said.

Kathmandu added that it had conveyed its position to both India and China.

Nepal's objection came days after India, on April 30, announced that the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra would be held between June and August this year via two routes, Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.

The territorial dispute over Lipulekh and Kalapani has been a friction point in India-Nepal ties for years. Nepal's K.P. Oli-led government had in May 2020 included these territories in its official map. The move came after India inaugurated an 80-km road linking Dharchula to Lipulekh Pass. Nepal had protested the road's inauguration as India's "unilateral act."

The Nepalese government had earlier also requested India not to conduct activities such as road construction, border trade, and pilgrimage in the area.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, holds religious significance for Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists.