Nepal has officially unveiled a new political map of the country showing the regions of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh of Uttarakhand, as part of its sovereign territory.
Launching the map at a press conference, Minister of Land Management Padma Kumari Aryal said the government of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was committed to protecting territorial sovereignty and integrity of the country.
“It is a historic moment of happiness for the people of Nepal. The government will not allow erosion of self-esteem of our people. Nepal will publish the new map and make it part of the school textbooks,” said Ms Aryal.
The area of Susta near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh also appears to be part of Nepal in the new map. Kathmandu claims that India has encroached upon this area claiming large tracts of land and wants Delhi to evacuate the population from the region.
The China factor: China on Tuesday said “Kalapani is an issue between Nepal and India”. Indian Army chief Gen. M M Naravane had last week said that there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to India’s newly-inaugurated road linking Lipulekh Pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand at the behest of “someone else”, in an apparent reference to a possible role by China in the matter.
The history: Kalapani is a 372-sq km area at the China-Nepal-India tri-junction. India claims Kalapani as a part of Uttarakhand while Nepal depicts the area in its map. According to the Sugauli treaty signed between Nepal and British India in 1816, the Mahakali river that runs through the Kalapani area is the boundary between the two countries. However, British surveyors subsequently showed the origin of the river, which has many tributaries, at different places. While Nepal claims that the river west of the disputed territory is the main river and so Kalapani falls in its territory, India claims a different origin and includes the area in its territory.
Why it matters: Strategically, Lipulekh Pass in Kalapani serves as an important vantage point for India to keep an eye on Chinese movements. Since 1962, Kalapani has been manned by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.