The International Relations Committee of the parliament will discuss the Indian construction of road to Mansarovar of China through Lipu Lekh.
The committee has called a meeting Sunday morning to discuss inauguration of the road constructed by India inside the Nepali land. The committee includes former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, former foreign minister Sujata Koirala, senior Nepali Congress leader Prakash Man Singh and CPN leader Bhim Rawal among others.
Inauguration of the Indian road via Lipu Lekh on Friday has been widely criticized in the country.
The issue of Indian encroachment of Nepali land came to the fore when India issued its new political map in November 2019 including Nepali land of Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura. The inclusion of Lipu Lekh and Kalapani of Nepal in the new political map published by India was widely condemned with the ruling and opposition parties alike protesting the Indian act.
The government claims it has raised the issue with India and it will be resolved through diplomatic channel. But inauguration of the road by India on Friday shows there has been no headway.
The government claims Sugauli Treaty clearly states that Limpiyadhura is the source of Mahakali and hence belongs to Nepal. It also cites the historic evidence pointing that Nepal conducted a census in Kalapani area in 2018 BS and has historical evidence proving Nepal collected tax from the surrounding areas in the past.
The Indian government, meanwhile, claims that the new map does not change the Indian borders with Nepal in any way and accurately depicts the sovereign territory of India.
