Explained: The Border Dispute Between India and Nepal

At the root of the border dispute is a 338 square km strip located at the trijunction between India, Nepal & China

At the root of the border dispute is a 338 square km strip located at the trijunction between India, Nepal, and China and the three areas of interest in this trijunction are Limpiyadhura pass, Lipulekh, and Kalapani.

(Photo: The Quint/Aroop Misra)

The House of Representatives in Nepal on 13 June passed a controversial bill that introduced a new map that includes Indian territories. India called this move “artificial enlargement of claims, not based on historical facts.” So, why are the South Asian neighbours at loggerheads? And what is the border dispute between India and Nepal?

At the root of the border dispute is a 338 square km strip located at the trijunction between India, Nepal, and China and the three areas of interest in this trijunction are Limpiyadhura pass, Lipulekh, and Kalapani.

The History

To make sense of this entire dispute, we must understand that Nepal’s borders are defined by rivers as per the treaty of Sugauli, under which the country's borders were demarcated.

The treaty was the result of a war between the Gorkha Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company, which lasted two years. Under this treaty, when the borders were marked, it was decided that on the western side, Kali river will mark the border, while on the eastern side, River Mechi will be the border.

So, when a river becomes a country’s border, the origin of the river becomes crucial. In the Sugauli treaty, the Nepali side and British East India Company did not sign on any maps.

The maps of the British East Indian company, in the years following the treaty, show that the origin of the Kali river was near the Limpiyadhura pass, on the western side.

However, realising the trade importance of this pass, over the next few years, the British East India company shifted the boundaries to the east of Kalapani. The monarch who ruled Nepal didn’t raise an objection, and over a period of time, this became the border between India and Nepal.

First Signs of Trouble

For more than a hundred years there was no dispute between India and Nepal over this trijunction. In fact, during the 1962 war with China, India had deployed troops at the trijunction to check Chinese aggression. Even now, Indian troop deployment continues in many parts there. Similarly, pilgrims going to the Manasarovar shrine take the road via the Lipulekh pass.

But the situation changed in the 1990s when Nepal shifted from a monarchy to a democratic government. The newly elected government raised objection regarding this trijunction with India.

Since then, the border dispute has been a serious issue between India and Nepal. In an attempt to solve this, in 2000, the then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to conduct field surveys at the border. However, this process did not go further as India refused to remove troops from the trijunction until the process was over.

Similarly, in 2015, India and China agreed to use Lipulekh to further trade between the two countries. The then Nepalese prime minister Sushil Koirala raised strong objections to the deal.

The Latest Standoff

After five years, the dispute between India and Nepal has resurfaced. Days after Nepal deployed armed police along its border, one Indian citizen was killed in a firing incident. Moreover, the new Nepalese map shows Indian territory within Nepal's borders.

For India, this trijunction is strategically important in the defence against China. At the same time, for the Nepalese government, facing criticism over the mismanagement of the COVID-19 situation in the country, winning this ‘nationalistic battle’ is crucial for its political stability.

Many believe the situation can be resolved with diplomatic talks between the two countries. However, since the situation has significantly worsened in this round of border dispute, there are concerns about how long this dispute will last.