Kathmandu, May 8: India has expressed readiness to hold talks with Nepal over the disputed Lipulekh region as fresh controversy flares up surrounding the border issue and the planned resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route.
During a weekly media briefing on Thursday, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was prepared to discuss all unresolved matters with Kathmandu, including boundary-related concerns.
At the same time, India rejected what it described as Nepal’s “unilateral” territorial assertions concerning Lipulekh and nearby areas.
“We remain open to dialogue on all pending issues with Nepal, including border matters,” Jaiswal said. “But raising one-sided claims over territory is not the right approach.”
He also noted that the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh has been operational since 1954.
The statement follows Nepal’s recent protest against preparations by India and China to restart the Kailash Mansarovar yatra via Lipulekh between June and August. Kathmandu maintains that Lipulekh lies within Nepali territory but remains under Indian control.
In response to the planned pilgrimage route, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that it had dispatched diplomatic notes to both New Delhi and Beijing.
Nepal has repeatedly maintained that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani, located east of the Mahakali River, belong to Nepal under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty.
India had earlier reaffirmed its own claim over Lipulekh. On Thursday, however, Jaiswal indicated that New Delhi remained willing to engage in negotiations if Nepal sought formal discussions on the issue.
Diplomacy in South Asia often works like a pressure cooker with a polite smile painted on top. Everyone says “dialogue,” then immediately slides a historical map across the table.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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