Nepal Parliament or for that matter any other country passing any map unilaterally is basically a tactical move. Its is neither new nor uncommon in international scenario. We have similar disputes with China. China exerts it claim over large part of Indian territory - like Arunachal pradesh, Ladakh etc inspite of these states being integral part of India, administered by government of India, within physical boundary and LOC of India. This happens wherever boundary demarcation has not happened or not possible because of geographic terrain.
Practically what the political leadership of other countries does, is not within our direct control. But what do we do then? Lets take the example of POK. India shows POK in India’s map, because POK has been integral part of India, forcibly occupied by Pakistan. In contrast Pakistan shows POK as well J&K as Pakistan territory. Aksai Chin-Pakistani maps show it in China while Indian maps show it in India. Some other countries shows the entire area as a disputed territory.
A major misunderstanding between India and Nepal occurred when India’s new map was released in November 2019,displaying Kalapani as part of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Nepal’s citizens, in retaliation, protested in Kathmandu against the new map of India. However, the sudden outbreak of the border dispute was triggered when a new 80 km-long road in the Himalayas, connecting to the border with China, was inaugurated at the Lipulekh Pass.
On May 8, 2020, India’s defense minister Rajnath Singh virtually – over a video conference – inaugurated an 80 kilometre-long road in the Himalayas, at the Lipulekh pass. The Nepal government immediately disagreed with India’s plan to lay the road, claiming that the new 80-kilometre road passes through their territory. The new road is now the quickest link between Delhi and the Tibetan plateau in China. Hence, the road serves pilgrims to reach Kailas and Manasarovar with ease.
Quite soon after this issue, on 20 May 2020, the Nepal government launched its own map showing Kalapani present in eastern corner of Uttarakhand state of India as part of Nepal’s territory. On 10 June 2020, the Nepali parliament moved to approve a new map which included territory in India’s Uttarakhand state. Nepal did this revision of its map mainly because of the inauguration of a new road at Lipulekh pass by the Indian government.
Lipulekh and Kalapani are major regions in India, and the Susta region in Nepal is covered in the border dispute between India and Nepal.
The territorial dispute between India and Nepal includes an area of 400 km2 at the India-Nepal-China tri-junction region. The Kalapani territory is a region under Indian administration as a sector of Pithoragarh district in the Uttarakhand state, but has also been claimed by Nepal since 1998. However, the Nepal government claims that Kalapani province lies in Darchula district, Sudurpaschim Pradesh. Kalapani has been controlled by India’s Indo-Tibetan border security forces since 1962. But Nepal demands the withdrawal of the Indian border forces in Kalapani area because they are claiming that Kalapani belongs to them.
Joint Technical Level Nepal-India Boundary Committee (JTLNIBC). The JTLNIBC was set up in 1981 to demarcate the India – Nepal border – and after years of surveying, deliberations, and extensions, the Committee had finally submitted the demarcating report in 2007 for ratification by both the countries. However Nepal refused to accept the report without the resolution of Kalapani and Susta in the Nepal map.
India offered to resolve the issue through dialogue. However Nepal moved ahead with adopting the new map. What India could do is to raise strong formal protest with Nepal government as well raise strong objection if any country or international forum use or recognize the new map of Nepal. Meanwhile India Government could keep the door open for dialogue and resolve the issue amicably. Even though Nepal has passed the new map, it will no the much of use unless it have physical occupation of the disputed area.
The 80 kilometre-long road at the Lipulekh pass is of strategic importance to India because the road set quickest link to Tibetan plateau in China. This is where China would have huge objection. Since the territory doesn’t belong to China, it can not raise any objection officially. So it is putting Nepal in the front-line. So the first action is to release a new map claiming the territory as part of Nepal. And once it is part of Nepal even though in pen and paper, China gets the right to come in the picture as a friendly nation to Nepal. Further China could be able to influence Nepal to give it the right to develop the area. So China would get the opportunity to face India directly.
Though we have Nepal in front of us, however the tactical battle is being played by China, which is engaging us in multiple front simultaneously. that is exactly the reason why Nepal government is not showing any interest in having dialogue with India. Ideally you have to sit for discussion to gain physical possession of the territory claimed. But solution of the issue what China doesn’t want. I will not be surprised if Pakistan also joins in some maneuver on the western border.
Nepal is heavily infested with Chinese and Pakistani influence. India has to work on multiple front, understand why the Nepali leadership are more inclined to China and what could be done to reverse the situation. In politics what we see overground could be completely different from the underground situation. Multiple trapping mechanisms are used to influence the political leadership. India has to engage the Nepali leadership in a constructive manner and we have apparatus to play the game and counter China effectively. Adopting the new map in isolation is not a very serious issue, what makes it core critical is when there comes a Chinese hand immediately after, as one thing leads to other. India’s Nepal policy should get total revisit to make it effective. Possibly we have to have a full fagged Nepal team under EAM with NSA and PM looking after it directly.
Ref:
No comments:
Post a Comment