Nepali political parties’ sister organizations in London send protest letter to India Kathmandu, 25 May: Nepali Samaj UK, Prabashi Nepali Ekata Munch, UK, Janasamparka Samiti, UK, Nepali Ekata Samaj, UK sister organizations of different political parties in Nepal, have jointly sent a protest letter to India on 22 May opposing Kalapani encroachment. The memorandum letter was sent to the Indian High Commission in London and Indian government by post. Full text of the memorandum letter as given below: To, The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Government of India New Delhi Through Honourable ambassador Indian High Commission London, United Kingdom Subject: Protest Letter Against Encroachment of Nepali Territory Excellency, Our attention has once again been drawn to a serious incident of the opening of link road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh Nepali territory. We strongly believe that the road has been constructed by India in sovereign Nepali territory which is not only an act of blatant land grab but it is also an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our beloved motherland. We strongly express our profound regret over the incident of brazen violation of Nepali territory and strongly condemn the occupation of Nepali land by an as strong and powerful neighbour as India. That the encroached land used by India for the construction of the road as described above along with whole land lying east of the Kali river - being an inalienable part of Nepal is borne out from many facts and historical pieces of evidence. As per the Sugauli Treaty of March 4, 1816, signed between Nepal and then British East-India Company Mahakali River (Kali in India) is established as the western border between the two countries. The Kali River originates from Limpiyadhura which is about 30 kilometers west of Kalapani. The political map issued by India on April 24, 1856, conforming to the Sugauli Treaty, regards Limpiyadhura as the river’s origin. There are several other maps drawn by authorities of the Survey of India following the 1816 treaty which clearly shows the areas namely Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiadhura within the boundary of Nepal. Not only that, a census was done in the 1960s by the government of Nepal in three villages of Kuti Nabi and Gunji, located in that region also proves that the territory has always been an alienable part of Nepal. People living in those areas still have receipt of land tax paid to Nepali authorities even from the distant past. The people of Nepal, the Nepali Diaspora across the globe, as well as the government of Nepal, stand as one against the bullying and encroachment of Nepali land as cited above by India. We as a nation of 30 million patriotic citizens with boundless love for our motherland than anything else under the sun, firmly believe in fraternity, equality, and justice as our core values. We sincerely desire to give continuity to our cordial and friendly relations with India as usual. We also cherish the cordial and warm relations that have existed historically between our two great nations and two peoples. But our cordiality and humbleness should not be construed as our weakness. We once again affirm our belief that we shall neither encroach upon others’ land nor shall we tolerate the encroachment on our land by others. No one, especially the close friend, can even imagine invading upon another’s territory on such a hard time of humankind on the world battle against COVID-19 which the Indian government has done against Nepal. You would agree, Your Excellency, that the humankind in history has witnessed a long, tortuous painful period of war, aggression and forceful occupation of territories belonging to small and weak nations by big and powerful ones. But with the end of the cold war and advent of the 21st century, mankind has entered into a new phase of history in which the goodwill, fraternity, equality should be the basis of the relation between the nations irrespective of their size and strength. We on behalf of thousands of Nepali migrants in the United Kingdom request in all our earnest to the Prime Minister of India through your good offices to take necessary action immediately to vacate and return the whole part of the land lying east of the Kali River which has been seized by India from the 1960s. We earnestly hope that the Indian government will take the positive initiative to resolve the issue amicably that will be enormously helpful to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relationship between our two countries. Thank you,