Kathmandu, May 8 — Nepal has urged that the Lipulekh territorial dispute with India be resolved through diplomatic channels while reiterating its claim to the area based on the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli. The statement follows India’s and China’s plans to reopen the route to the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage via Lipulekh Pass, a route scheduled to operate June–August 2026 under an Indian government arrangement.
At a press briefing in Kathmandu, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said Nepal’s position is grounded in historical evidence and the Sugauli Treaty, which Nepal interprets as placing territories east of the Mahakali (Kali) river — including Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani — within Nepali territory. He said Kathmandu has formally communicated its concerns and stance to both India and China through diplomatic notes and remains committed to resolving border issues through dialogue based on treaties, maps and documentary evidence.
Chhetri reiterated that Nepal has consistently objected to unilateral actions in the disputed area, including road construction, trade activity and pilgrimage routes, and has asked India not to proceed with such projects without consultation. Nepal’s foreign ministry also confirmed it has informed China of Kathmandu’s position that Lipulekh lies within Nepal.
India has said the Mansarovar route is a long-standing issue. New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs, responding to Kathmandu’s objections, described cross-border trade through the route as a historically established practice that had been disrupted in recent years by COVID-19 and other developments. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has dismissed Nepal’s territorial claims as “neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence,” calling them untenable.
The Lipulekh area has been contested for years. In 2015 India and China agreed in a joint statement to expand trade via Lipulekh, a decision that drew strong protests from Nepal because the pass lies within the area Kathmandu claims. Tensions rose again in 2020 after India inaugurated a road linking Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh; Nepal responded by issuing diplomatic notes objecting to the construction and later revised its political map to include the tri-junction of Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh.
Nepal’s 2020 map update, cleared by the cabinet and released publicly on 20 May 2020, added roughly 335 square kilometres by incorporating several villages and territory it said had been omitted earlier. The Department of Survey cited sources including a map drawn at the time of the Sugauli Treaty, documents from London, historic land revenue receipts and an order issued by then-Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher as supporting evidence for Nepal’s claim.
India and China have recently agreed to reopen border trade through three designated points — Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La and Nathu La — an arrangement reached during talks between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The move is part of broader efforts by India and China to resume and expand trade ties amid efforts to ease tensions after the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes.
Nepal has consistently protested such agreements when they affect territory it claims. Kathmandu formally objected to the 2015 and 2020 arrangements by sending diplomatic notes to both New Delhi and Beijing. In 2023, China released a map that showed Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of India, a development that further complicated the dispute.
With both India and China advancing plans involving the pass, Nepal reiterated its readiness to pursue a resolution through peaceful diplomatic engagement while maintaining friendly bilateral relations with its neighbours. The dispute remains sensitive, shaped by differing interpretations of historical treaties, evolving maps and competing strategic and economic interests in the region.
