Nepalese Prime Minister Says Endorsement Of New Political Map Reflects National Sentiment

The Nepalese government's approval of a new political map incorporating Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh mountain passes and Kalapani territory represents national feeling toward the border dispute with India, Nepalese Prime Minister Sharma Oli said on Tuesday

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2020) The Nepalese government's approval of a new political map incorporating Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh mountain passes and Kalapani territory represents national feeling toward the border dispute with India, Nepalese Prime Minister Sharma Oli said on Tuesday.

The map was endorsed by Nepal's cabinet on Monday. The disputed area, which Nepal considers to be historically its integral part, has been controlled by India since 1962 following a war with China. In October, New Delhi issued its own political map where the disputed territory was incorporated into the Indian state of Ladakh, the move vehemently protested by Nepal.

While addressing the parliament, Oli said that by approving the new map, Nepal was only claiming its own land, stressing that this decision was not made under pressure of a third party.

Border tensions between Nepal and India escalated earlier in May when India opened a road linking the area to the state of Uttarakhand. On May 9, Nepalese Foreign Minister Singh Durbar called on India to refrain from any activity inside the area east of the Kali River, which he said belonged to Nepal per 1816 Sugauli Treaty on Nepal's borders, and urged New Delhi to seek a diplomatic solution to "boundary issues."

A spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry argued that the road ran completely within India's territory.