India and Nepal share a close relationship. Both the countries have established a system of open borders and through this they are providing free movement of people. This has provided for close cultural relations and people to people relations between the two countries. Apart from this, both the countries share a historical and cultural relationship as well. But today this special relationship is being threatened as a result of the ongoing dispute. The latest crisis began with Nepal’s aggressive response to India’s inauguration of the road that connects with the Lipulekh Pass in order to facilitate Kailash Mansarovaryatra and reduce the travel time for the pilgrimage. India has also clarified that the new link road follows the pre-existing route used by the pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarovaryatra.
Nepal claims that this Indian built road passes through the disputed Kalapani region; it not only criticised India by invoking the colonial legacy of the Treaty of Sugauli of 1816, it also published a new political map that claims not only the Lipulekh Pass in the Kalapani region but also other areas that are traditionally seen to be a part of Indian territory.
Kalapani is a valley that is administered by India as a part of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. It is situated on the Kailash Mansarovar route. India rejected the new map of Nepal saying that Nepal’s new map involves artificial enlargement of territories, which is not based on historical facts and evidence.Nepal states that the territory of Kalapani was offered to India by King Mahendra after the 1962 India-China war as he wanted to help India’s security concerns due to perceived lingering Chinese threats.
The approach of Nepal naturally led to a strong response from India. India has labelled these decisions of Nepal as unilateral and unacceptable. There were a series of verbal exchanges between the two countries which have further escalated the diplomatic standoff.
The administrative and revenue records of the nineteenth century also show that Kalapani was on the Indian side, and counted as part of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.The region through which the Indian road passes has traditionally been a part of India and this can be shown through the various agreements that have been signed in the past between India and China. In 1954 both India and China had signed an agreement, which shows that the region of Lipulekh Pass as a preferred transit route between India and Tibet. It also provided for the establishment of a trading point between India and China. The very same fact has been reieterated in another trade agreement that was signed between India and China in 2015 as well. Ever since China reopened the Kailash Mansarovaryatra in 1981, this route has been a preferred route between India and Tibet and the newly built Indian road is in alignment with this recognised road. Both India and China have even set up a Border Personal Meeting (BPM) point at the Lipulekh Pass. In the past, Nepal never really had any major objection to this even though the Kalapani dispute has been a long-standing border dispute between India and Nepal.
India has stated that the boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is ongoing, and that India is committed to resolving outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue and in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations with Nepal. Both the countries should have been more proactive, and they should have settled this long-standing border dispute long ago through peaceful negotiations. In fact, in the 1990s, a joint commission comprising of officials from both the countries had been set up, but it failed to arrive at any conclusion.
Recently, in 2014, Prime Minister Modi of India and his Nepali counterpart had directed their respective foreign secretaries to meet and resolve the border dispute. But, unfortunately, these negotiations too failed to yield any result. The responsibility for the failure to resolve the dispute lies with both the countries. India on its part, despite being a major responsible power has dragged its feet and it has repeatedly failed to respect and understand the concerns of the small country that is sandwiched between two major Asian powers. Nepal, on the other hand, has been unnecessarily aggressive and hostile towards India on some issues, and some of its political parties are seen to be promoting anti-India sentiments even as they seem to be acting at China’s behest. So, if both India and Nepal are interested in preserving their special relationship, they need to begin by jointly sharing the responsibility for the current crisis. They need to develop mutual respect towards each other’s concerns and resolve the border dispute through peaceful negotiations. India should also try to convey to Nepal’s leadership about the congenial and friendly environment in which some 6 to 8 million Nepali citizens are living in India.