India-Nepal row over Kalapani sharpens

With India stating that the new map issued by it last week accurately depicts its sovereign territory and it has in no manner revised its boundary with Nepal, the issue of Kalapani could intensify into a sharp diplomatic confrontation with the Himalayan nation, reports senior journalist Smita Sharma.

New Delhi:In what could blow into a sharp diplomatic confrontation, India has dismissed Nepal’s allegations over Kalapani. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today rejected Nepal’s claim that the territory of Kalapani has been wrongly included in the new political maps issued on Sunday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs released new political maps on Sunday following the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory and abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. These maps show tracts of land in Kalapani and Lipu Lekh claimed and disputed by Kathmandu as its own placed within Indian boundaries.

Nepal claims Kalapani as a part of its territory

Following hue and cry on social media at the move, the Nepal Foreign Ministry lodged its objections on Tuesday, after an initial government silence and said in a formal statement that “the government of Nepal is clear about Kalapani being part of Nepal's territory”.

The statement further added, “Foreign secretaries of the two countries have been mandated to resolve border-related issues. Nepal government is committed to defending its international borders and it is firm on its position that the border problems between the two neighbouring countries should be resolved diplomatically based on the historic documents and concrete evidence.”

However, today New Delhi dismissed Nepal’s complaint and claimed that the new maps are correct. “Our map accurately depicts the sovereign territory of India. The new map has in no manner revised our boundary with Nepal. The boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is ongoing under the existing mechanism. We reiterate our commitment to find a solution through dialogue in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

Nepal maintains that Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limphuyadhara are part of its territory and these tracts are produced as part of the Himalayan country in its maps issued by its Survey Department. It remains a sensitive political issue for Nepal.

The MEA today without naming a country or any Individual suggested that ‘vested interests’ are at play to wedge a divide over the issue. “At the same time, both countries should guard against vested interests trying to create differences between our two countries,” remarked Raveesh Kumar. Nepal on Tuesday had underlined tersely that its government ‘won’t accept any kind of unilateral decisions regarding that (Kalapani)’.

The issue has already gathered steam with the ruling party and opposition leaders as well as prominent citizens in Nepal upping the ante on social media.

Following Kathmandu’s formal objection on Tuesday, Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa in a tweet asked Foreign Minister Gyawali to proactively seek unity among political forces on the issue and hoped that Prime Minister Oli would bring everyone together against what he termed as ‘the unilateral action’ of the Indian government.

Local media reported protests breaking out in some parts with people on the streets carrying posters and placards reading ‘Back Off India’ and ‘Go Back India’.

Well known Nepalese economist and author Sujeev Shakya cautioned that this may once again lead to a confrontation similar to the 2015 ‘economic blockade’ which India maintains was not orchestrated by it but forced by agitating Madhesis protesting the country’s new Constitution.

“If #India does not handle the current border issue with #Nepal tactfully, it will land into a situation that will go out of its control. Remember the 2015 #IndianBlockade alienated a whole generation of #Nepalis and memories are still fresh. Learn from the past,” wrote Sujeev Shakya on Twitter.

“The Government of Nepal has always stayed firm on its claim on the territory in the upper reaches, with archival and administrative proof, but has been too meek to demand the territory be evacuated of Indian military personnel which has been there since the 1960s. This time, the publication of a new edition of a political map by India. meant to indicate new 'facts on the ground' in J&K got the Nepali polity suddenly latch on to the matter of Kalapani and Lipu Lek,” added Kanak Mani Dixit signalling the possibility of this row escalating further.

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