Locking Horns

By Muhammad Omar Iftikhar | July 2020

Regional disputes can arise at any time. Either they blow out of proportions or, at times, countries use diplomatic initiatives to reduce enmity. What began in May 2020 was a row between India and Nepal when New Delhi inaugurated the Himalayan road link. It was a part of India’s plan to expand its road routes in the region for trade and commerce. However, the Indian road link passed through Kalapani. This disputed region has been under siege since 1998. While India claims the area comes under its control, Nepal also claims its ownership.

At a time when the world is facing the atrocities caused by the Covid-19 and lockdowns, India and Nepal are preparing to lock horns. The border dispute between the two neighbours may as well expand.

India’s inauguration of the 80-kilometer (50-mile) Himalayan link road passes through Lipulekh Pass. It is on the border between India and China, near their junction. The Kalapani territory is situated on the southeastern side of Lipulekh Pass.

According to the plan, this Himalayan link road, a unilaterally built motorway by India, connects the Indian state of Uttarakhand to Kailash Mansarovar situated in Tibet. Historically speaking, the Lipulekh Pass is also the shortest trade route between India and China. It is yet to be seen how China will view the inauguration of this link road, given that Chinese and Indian armed forces have been engaged in a conflict in the Ladakh region. Nepal, however, considers that the Himalayan road link is a way to bully smaller countries of the region. The controversy of the Himalayan link road is that a 17-kilometer part of the road passes through Nepalese territory.

Stepping up the game of conflicts, the Prime Minister of Nepal, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli issued a map of Nepal. According to it, Nepal owns the areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura. The Nepalese government also claims that these areas were never under colonial rule. According to reports, the areas were brought under Nepal’s administration in line with the Sugauli Treaty with the British Raj following the Anglo-Nepalese (Gurkha) War in 1816. The Nepalese government has planned to use this new map for administrative purposes. It will also be put in textbooks. This may well compel India to do the same. If this is the case, students on either side of the border will not get the true picture of geography and geopolitics of the area.

This Sugauli Treaty defined the Kali River as the western boundary of Nepal. The citizens of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura had even voted for Nepal during the 1959 general elections. They have been giving taxes and consider themselves as Nepalese. However, in 1962 when India and China fought the Sino-Indian War, India claimed to have taken over these areas.

India did reject Nepal’s claim of the disputed territory. It considered it a unilateral act. In a broader sense, constructing the road link in a disputed region was India’s unilateral move. Just a day after Nepal issued the new map, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India.”

Nepal and India have been previously involved in other cartography disputes. In November 2019, India launched a map that showed Jammu and Kashmir as two union territories. It also showed Lipulekh as its territory.

According to Sudheer Sharma, editor of Kantipur Daily of Nepal, “The dispute has become more complicated after a hardening of stances on both sides. Nepal’s earlier demands were focused on the withdrawal of troops from Kalapani; its recent position now includes the insistence of Limpiyadhura as the headwaters. The dispute looks like it is heading towards a point of no return. There had been proposals in the past where India would withdraw its troops while Nepal would guarantee Indian security interests in the region. But this looks difficult now.”

The de-escalation of the movement of troops from India seems a far-fetched idea now that the Himalayan road link has been inaugurated. Even if the 17-kilometer patch poses a diplomatic problem for India as it crosses into Nepali territory, New Delhi will make all efforts to protect its investment into the road link. It is yet to be seen to what extent will India go to protect its undue influence and hegemony in the region.

Swaran Singh, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi thinks that the problem has to do with Nepal’s intricate association with China. According to Singh, “the diplomatic landscape only reinforces allegations of Nepal becoming more emboldened to take a tough stand and use harsh language against India to please their Chinese friends.”

The Nepal-India border dispute will continue until both sides do not reach a meaningful resolution. Doing so will require talks and an understanding of each other’s concerns. Until then, the conflict and blame game will linger.

Border Dispute

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