Kalapani dispute between India & Nepal | EXPLAINED
Background:
Scholars say Nepal virtually ignored the Kalapani issue from 1961 to 1997. In 1998, it became "convenient" for Nepal to raise controversy about it for domestic political reasons
The dispute over Kalapani was revived recently when India published a revised political map showing the newly created UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The map showed Kalapani as part of the Pithoragarh district. Nepal protested immediately and drew attention to the lingering issue.
Last year India inaugurated the Darchula-Lipulekh pass link road, cutting across the disputed Kalapani area which is used by Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar. Nepal made a formal protest.
Both India and Nepal lay claim on Kalapani.
Where is Kalapani located?
Kalapani is a region located in the easternmost corner of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.
It shares a border on the north with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Nepal in the east and south.
The area is in India’s control but Nepal claims the region because of historical and cartographic reasons.
The area is the largest territorial dispute between Nepal and India consisting of at least 37,000 hectares of land in the High Himalayas.
What is the cause of the dispute?
Kalapani region derives its name from the river Kali. Nepal’s claims to the region are based on this river as it became the marker of the boundary of the kingdom of Nepal following the Treaty of Sugauli signed between the Gurkha rulers of Kathmandu and the EIC after the Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16).
According to the treaty, the British recognized Nepal’s right to the region that fell to the east of the river Kali. Here lies the historic origin of the dispute.
According to Nepal’s experts, the east of the Kali river should begin at the source of the river.
India on the other hand says the border begins at Kalapani which India says is where the river begins. The dispute is mainly because of the varying interpretation of the origin of the river and its various tributaries that slice through the mountains.
Why is Lipulekh pass important?
Lipulekh pass has been used for centuries by Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims and tourists on their way to Kailash Mansarovar.
The nearby markets have been used by various mountain communities.
The Himalayas have several passes that connect the Gangetic region with the Tibetan plateau but Lipulekh is strategically located as it is nearest to NCT Delhi and can be of particular concern in case of an armed conflict with China.
The importance of Himalayan passes with the Tibetan plateau was amply highlighted in the 1962 war. During that war, Chinese forces used the pass of Se La in Tawang and reached the Brahmaputra plains in the east.
The military defeat in the east clearly demonstrated that weakly guarded passes were a major vulnerability of Indian military preparedness against China.
Strategic implications
The Kalapani area is strategically important in South Asian diplomacy as it serves as a tri-junction between India, China, and Nepal.
Given that Nepal is a “buffer state” between the other two, both with great-power aspirations in the region, the Kalapani dispute has important ramifications on the relations between the three.
What is the current position?
Nepal published a revised official map incorporating the territory from the Limpiyadhura source of the Kali to Kalapani and Lipulekh pass as its territory.
Last year Nepal parliament passed a constitutional amendment to include the new map which includes disputed areas in India Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura in the Constitution of Nepal.
Indian observers say this move makes any future solution on the Kalapani issue nearly impossible as a constitutional guarantee will make Kathmandu’s position inflexible.
Way Forward
India and Nepal must sort out their borders in a formal and friendly manner, to avoid other disputes such as the one over the Kalapani area.
India should also move beyond its insecurities related to China. Although the Nepali Parliament has taken up the issue seriously, the two governments should fill the communication gap as a matter of urgency.
Both India and Nepal must invest in negotiating new border management agreements to take into consideration recent events.
Further, if the two countries fail to arrive at a resolution to the disagreement, it might give other stakeholders such as China an opportunity to interfere.
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To know more
India and Nepal’s Kalapani border dispute: An explainer | ORF (orfonline.org)
