Kathmandu- In its first, India has formally responded to Nepal’s diplomatic communication over the long-running Lipulekh border dispute through a diplomatic note, signalling willingness for dialogues while maintaining its territorial position on the issue.
This marks a fresh diplomatic exchange between Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s government and India on one of their most sensitive territorial issues.
Sources at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said New Delhi conveyed its position through a diplomatic note in response to concerns raised by Kathmandu over the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh, which Nepal claims as its territory.
The note, sent on May 15, stated that India is willing to resolve the issue through dialogue and bilateral mechanisms, officials in Nepal said.
This comes after Nepal, on May 3, sent a diplomatic note to both India and China over the proposed Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh, which Kathmandu claims as its territory. Kathmandu had also raised concerns on activities and infrastructure developments in the disputed Lipulekh-Kalapani-Limpiyadhura region near the India-Nepal-China tri-junction.
In its response, India maintained its longstanding position that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and established diplomatic channels, while also reaffirming its territorial stance on the disputed region.
While the exact contents of the diplomatic exchange have not been made public, officials indicate that New Delhi’s response was measured in tone and focused on maintaining bilateral engagement rather than escalating tensions.
Earlier in month, Nepal also issued its first official statement on the issue following reports that travel via Lipulekh was being initiated. Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said Nepal had conveyed its position and concerns regarding the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to both neighbours through diplomatic channels.
In a swift response issued just hours later, India said the route was not new and had been in continuous use since 1954.
India also rejected Nepal’s territorial claims, stating that some of Nepal’s assertions are not based on historical facts and evidence, and that such unilateral claims are unacceptable.
What is the Lipulekh-Kalapani-Limpiyadhura dispute?
The dispute centres around a strategically important area in Nepal’s far-western region near the border with India and China.
Nepal claims that the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura territories fall within its borders based on the 1816 Sugauli Treaty signed with British India. Kathmandu argues that the Kali River originates from Limpiyadhura, placing the disputed land east of the river and therefore within Nepalese territory.
India, however, maintains that the area belongs to India’s Uttarakhand state and has long administered the region.
The issue intensified in 2020 after India inaugurated a road connecting Dharchula to Lipulekh Pass, a route used by Hindu pilgrims travelling to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet.
Nepal strongly objected to the move, saying the road passed through its territory without consultation.
The dispute escalated further when Nepal released a new political map incorporating Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura within its national boundaries. Nepal’s parliament later endorsed the revised map through a constitutional amendment, triggering sharp reactions from India.
The diplomatic exchange may reopen discussions on long-pending boundary mechanisms between the two countries though no immediate breakthrough appears likely.
Observers say both sides are expected to proceed cautiously, balancing domestic political pressures with the need to preserve broader India-Nepal ties that span trade, connectivity, security and people-to-people relations.
For now, the latest note exchange signals that while the Lipulekh dispute remains unresolved, diplomatic communication between the two neighbours remains active.
