Nepal moves closer to claiming disputed territory with India

DELHI REJECTS CLAIM AS ‘UNTENABLE’ AND ‘ARTIFICIAL ENLARGEMENT’

Nepal’s upper house of parliament yesterday signed off on a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the nation’s political map to include strategically important territory also claimed by India.

Already approved by the lower house, the proposed amendment still needs to be signed by the president before becoming official.

India has already termed as “untenable” the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal after its lower house of Parliament on Saturday unanimously approved the new political map of the country featuring Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas, which India maintains belong to it.

Amendment

Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli’s government has pushed for the amendment and it has widespread public support.

Nepal has long claimed the areas of Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh in accordance with an 1816 Sugauli treaty with the British Raj, although the areas have remained under the control of Indian troops since India fought a war with China in 1962.

India does not recognise Nepal’s claims, and says talks should be held on any outstanding boundary issues.

The border dispute between the two countries heated up again last month when India opened a Himalayan link road through one of the disputed regions that lies at a strategic junction with Tibet and China.

The 80-km road, inaugurated by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cuts through the Lipu Lekh Himalayan pass, considered one of the shortest and most feasible trade routes between India and China.

Road link protested

Nepal fiercely contested the inauguration of the road, seeing it as an incursion and a stark example of bullying by its much larger neighbour. Nepal’s Parliament unanimously passes bill to redraw map incorporating three Indian areas. The bill to amend the Constitution to update the new map was tabled in the National Assembly, the upper house on Sunday, a day after the House of Representatives unanimously endorsed it.

President’s authentication

All 57 members of the National Assembly, who were present on the occasion, voted in favour of the amendment bill. There was zero vote against the Bill. Now the bill will be sent to President Bidya Devi Bhandari for authentication after which it will be incorporated in the Constitution. After that, the new map will be used in all official documents, including the coat of arms.

On Saturday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, replying to the queries on the passing of the bill by the lower house, said: “We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a Constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter.

“This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues.”