Why Nepal Opposes India on Lipulekh? | Clash Over Mansarovar Route Explained! | By Ankit Singh

0:00 Hello everyone.

0:01 I'm Ankit and you're watching StudyIQIAS English.

0:04 In our today's video,

0:05 we'll try to understand why is Lipulekh Pass in news currently.

0:09 And the reason is very simple.

0:11 The new government in Nepal, which is just over a month old,

0:14 headed by Prime Minister Balen Shah,

0:16 they've objected to India and China's decision to use

0:19 Lipulekh Pass for conduction of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

0:23 Now, countering this charge, the Indian government,

0:25 that is the Ministry of External Affairs,

0:27 has stated that Nepal's claim in this matter,

0:29 it's neither justified nor they are

0:31 backed by historical facts and justifications.

0:34 But, on the other hand, Indian government has stated that we are

0:37 open to constructive dialogue to solve this dispute.

0:40 Now, you need to understand, for a long period of time,

0:43 Nepal has objected both India and China's decision

0:46 to conduct trade and pilgrimage through Lipulekh Pass.

0:50 So, in our today's video,

0:51 we'll try to understand what is this Lipulekh Pass, where it is located,

0:55 then we'll try to understand why control over this pass

0:58 is a matter of dispute between India and Nepal,

1:01 and what have been the attempts done by both

1:03 of the government in order to solve this dispute.

1:06 In addition to that, before cover ending our today's video,

1:09 we'll try to understand what is the geostrategic,

1:12 economic, as well as cultural importance of Lipulekh

1:15 Pass as far as India is concerned.

1:16 Okay?

1:17 So, let us start our today's discussion,

1:19 and the notes which I will be using today, you can also download them by going

1:22 to a particular Telegram channel called as ATS Lite.

1:25 And while you're at it,

1:26 please do not forget to subscribe to the channel as well.

1:29 So, let us start by understanding what is this Lipulekh Pass.

1:32 It is a high-altitude mountain pass which

1:35 is located at the tri-junction of India.

1:38 So, you can understand Lipulekh Pass is here, which is located in India,

1:42 and here India can keep an eye on China and Nepal simultaneously.

1:46 So, this is a tri-junction pass located

1:49 at the tri-junction of India, China, and Nepal,

1:51 and geographically it is located in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand,

1:55 which is located in the Kumaon Hills, right?

1:57 And the elevation of this district is approximately 17,000 above the sea level.

2:02 Now, you need to understand this Lipulekh Pass is also

2:05 along the Line of Actual Control which India shares with China.

2:09 And it is also acting as a key point of transit for both trade as well

2:13 as pilgrimage which happens between India

2:16 and the autonomous territory of Tibet located in China.

2:20 Now, what you have to understand,

2:22 why is this dispute happening over the Lipulekh Pass?

2:26 Now, the source of dispute of Lipulekh Pass,

2:29 it happens because of the competitive interpretations done by both

2:32 India and Nepal as far as Treaty of Sugauli,

2:35 which was signed in 1816, is concerned.

2:38 Now, Treaty of Sugauli in 1816,

2:40 it delineated the boundaries between then Kingdom

2:43 of Nepal and then British Indian territory,

2:46 which eventually became what is known as India currently.

2:49 This Treaty of Sugauli of 1816, it stated that the Kali River,

2:54 which is also known as Mahakali and Sharda,

2:56 will act as a border between India and Nepal.

3:00 So, any territory located east of this river,

3:03 that is Kali River, would belong to Nepal,

3:05 and any territory located west of this river

3:09 would belong to the country of India, right?

3:11 But, how India and Nepal looks at this treaty is

3:15 a source of dispute on who gets to control Lipulekh.

3:18 So, let us understand what are the competing

3:20 interpretation as far as India and Nepal are concerned.

3:23 Now, Nepal, on one hand,

3:25 says that it is in Limpiyadhura where this Kali River originates.

3:29 So, according to Nepal, any territory located east of it from Limpiyadhura,

3:35 where the Kali River originates, this territory belongs to Nepal.

3:39 On the other hand, India states that the origin

3:42 of the River Kali is below the springs located in Lipulekh Pass.

3:47 So, from here onwards, the territory becomes Nepal,

3:50 and west onwards, the territory becomes India.

3:54 However, this, according to India,

3:56 does not say anything about territories located

3:59 northwards from the origin of River Kali.

4:01 So, in order to understand what which country gets to control the areas

4:06 north of this origin of Kali River is what is the matter of dispute.

4:11 India relies on the historical maps that were created during British era,

4:15 which stated that Lipulekh Pass,

4:17 which is located in Pithoragarh district, formed British Indian territory.

4:21 And as a result, all of these territories

4:23 now are under righteous Indian control.

4:27 Okay?

4:27 So, let me tell you what I've told you just on the map.

4:30 Now, the Nepalese government, as I told you,

4:33 it states that Kali River originates from a stream located in Limpiyadhura.

4:37 So, according to Nepal, all the areas east of Limpiyadhura,

4:41 that is Limpiyadhura itself, Lipulekh, as well as Kalapani,

4:44 all of this belongs to Nepal, and these are sovereign Nepali territory

4:48 belonging to Darchula district of Nepal.

4:50 And even Nepal's constitutional maps reflect the same in its design.

4:55 On the other hand, India states that the Kali

4:58 River originates from a spring much below the pass, that is the Lipulekh Pass.

5:03 And about the areas located north of this pass,

5:06 India relies on British cartographic evidences saying

5:10 that the administrative and revenue records from the British era,

5:13 they highlight that the place Kalapani,

5:15 which is located in Pithoragarh district, belonged to British Indian territory.

5:19 And this is why the competing interpretations have

5:23 led to dispute over who gets to control Limpiyadhura,

5:26 Kalapani, as well as Lipulekh Pass.

5:28 Now, what have been the key flash points regarding the control

5:32 of this territory when it comes to relations between India and Nepal?

5:36 Now, in 1962, India fought unsuccessfully a war with China.

5:40 So, after the war with China,

5:42 India's primary security objective in its Himalayan borders became to counter

5:46 the advances done by the public People's Liberation Army of China.

5:51 So, India deployed Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol ITBP in Kalapani and used

5:56 the elevation of 2,000 ft by setting up of a strategic observation post,

6:00 which would keep a key eye on the movements of enemy across the border.

6:04 And Nepal, on their hand, it views this setting up of an observation

6:08 territory as an encroachment towards own sovereign territory.

6:11 Similarly, not very far away in 2016,

6:14 when Prime Minister Modi visited on official visit to Beijing,

6:18 here India agreed to sign and expand its border trade with China,

6:23 which will happen through Lipulekh Pass,

6:25 and this was again objected much vociferously in the Nepalese parliament.

6:29 Similarly, in 2019, after the bifurcation of then

6:33 state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories,

6:35 when India published its official political map,

6:38 this also showed Lipulekh Pass and all the regions

6:41 like Limpiyadhura as well as Kalapani inside India,

6:44 and this became a source of friction between India and Nepal.

6:48 Similarly, in 2020, India inaugurated a 80-km

6:52 long road which connects Pithoragarh to Lipulekh,

6:55 which prompted the Nepali Foreign Ministries

6:58 to summon Indian envoy and register a protest.

7:01 And India, when it passed a new constitutional

7:04 map it asserting sovereignty over the region in 2019,

7:08 this also became a source of friction.

7:10 Much latest beyond 1 year or so,

7:12 when the latest flash point have come to light when India and China have jointly

7:15 announced that they are going to use Lipulekh

7:18 Pass to conduct pilgrimage through Kailash Mansarovar Parvat,

7:22 as well as conduction of trade through this pass.

7:24 So, this also became a source of friction between India and Nepal.

7:28 Has the India and Nepal government done anything in order to solve this dispute?

7:31 The answer is yes.

7:32 So, what has been the attempt?

7:34 Let us now understand it.

7:35 The earliest attempt that was formed was setting

7:37 up of a joint technical level boundary working group,

7:40 which was established in 1980s to delineate the border.

7:43 Now, this joint working group solved most

7:46 of the boundary questions that existed between India and Nepal,

7:49 but it left Kalapani and Susta unresolved.

7:52 So, to solve this unresolved border issues, Prime Ministers in 2000, that is Mr.

7:57 Vajpayee and BP Koirala, agreed to demarcate the outstanding areas by 2002.

8:02 But, this target was not adhered upon,

8:04 and therefore, the dispute [snorts] persisted.

8:07 Now, India, on its part,

8:08 has formally offered a foreign secretary level talks to resolve this dispute.

8:15 However, these talks have been frequently delayed,

8:18 first due to COVID-19 pandemic,

8:19 and later due to political dynamics in both of the countries.

8:23 Now, you need to understand, this area, although disputed,

8:26 belongs to or is under the control of India.

8:29 And Nepali government, any Nepali government, be it present or previous,

8:32 they wouldn't be looking to give up on this demand,

8:35 otherwise they would be seen as a weak country

8:37 in front of a larger power, that is India.

8:39 On India's part, why is India not willing to solve this issue?

8:43 Because India originally believes that this bringing up

8:46 of dispute by Nepal is not originally originating from Nepal,

8:50 rather Nepal is doing this on the behest of China.

8:53 So, India looks at Nepal from the eyes of suspicion.

8:56 So, when suspicion begins, there is a trust deficit that develops,

9:00 and this leads to persisting not resolving of any such disputes.

9:05 Now, why is control of Lipulekh Pass important for India?

9:07 There are many strategic reasons, economic reasons, as well as cultural reasons.

9:11 So, let us understand them one by one.

9:13 You need to understand, Lipulekh is one of the oldest and most important

9:17 pass that India used to interact with China, right?

9:20 It even dates back to 1954,

9:23 predating a nearby Shipkila Pass, which is located in Himachal,

9:27 and Nathula Pass by over five decades, which is located in Sikkim.

9:32 Now, the location of this pass, that is at tri-junction of India, China,

9:36 and Nepal, becomes very important, because if you have deployed your army there,

9:40 if you have established an observation post there,

9:43 you can continuously monitor movement of enemies,

9:45 what is happening across the border.

9:47 So, strategically, for India's security, for India's economic security,

9:52 this trade route becomes very important.

9:55 And as a result, India has also deployed a high

9:59 altitude surveillance and observation post which is critical for monitoring

10:03 the movement of PLA across LAC because India has continuously

10:08 disputed and fought with China in order to control these borders.

10:11 Now, the attempt of Indian government to construct a road in 2020 is also

10:16 a direct outcome of its learnings due

10:18 to what happened in 2017 in Doklam Plateau.

10:21 Now, whenever there has been a dispute between

10:23 India and China with respect to the borders, India realized one thing,

10:27 that the ability of PLA and the Chinese army to get deployed across the borders

10:32 is quite high because they have constructed

10:35 very good quality roads over the border region.

10:37 And similar kind of roads are not available in India

10:40 which puts Indian army at a disadvantage vis-a-vis PLA.

10:44 So, to counter this disadvantage,

10:46 to bridge the gap of capabilities in order to quickly deploy your army,

10:50 India started constructing many strategic roads in the Himalayan region.

10:54 One of this road becomes that.

10:56 And similarly, it also helps us in easing of the burden that is faced

11:01 by the pilgrims when they are traveling

11:02 to the Kailash Mansarovar using the Lipulekh Pass.

11:06 And this brings me to the economic

11:07 and cultural importance of Lipulekh for India.

11:10 Now, suppose if you're a pilgrim who is wanting to visit

11:14 Kailash Mansarovar or Mount Kailash located in Tibet from Delhi,

11:18 you have two alternate ways to travel through Mount Kailash.

11:22 First is you can take a car, go through uh Uttarakhand into Pithoragarh and then

11:27 enter into Chinese territory and reach Mountain Kailash, right?

11:31 But earlier, there was this challenge.

11:33 This 200 km long stretch, it was non-motorable and therefore,

11:37 people were required to cover this 200

11:40 km long stretch on foot by using trekking.

11:43 So, this made a direct route to Mount

11:45 Kailash via Uttarakhand much more difficult before.

11:48 So, the alternate route that people of India had was that through Delhi,

11:52 they would reach Sikkim and through Nathu La Pass, they would enter into Tibet,

11:56 travel again west for a long duration of time and then read reach Mount Kailash.

12:02 So, these were the two options that were open to India.

12:04 Now, as I told you, these 200 km long trek that you were required to do earlier,

12:10 now this has been done away with because the government of India

12:12 has constructed an important road here which again was disputed by Nepal.

12:17 So, now because of this motorable road here,

12:20 your ability to reach from Delhi to Mount Kailash

12:23 via Lipulekh has become easier and as a result,

12:26 an Indian pilgrim would have to travel

12:28 80% in Indian territory and cover the rest

12:32 about 16 to 20% just in the Nepalese territory as against taking a longer Nathu

12:37 La route which takes a considerable amount of time and also you have to cover

12:41 a long distance inside Chinese territory which

12:43 adds to the cost, adds to the risk.

12:46 Right?

12:46 So, this has been what is the benefit of Lipulekh

12:49 Pass as far as economic and strategic reasons are concerned.

12:52 Now, this pass lies on ancient route of Kailash Mansarovar and therefore,

12:57 covering this track directly from Delhi via Uttarakhand makes it

13:00 easier for Indian pilgrims because they have to travel more

13:03 now inside Indian territory as against using the Nathu La

13:06 Pass where you have to travel more in the Chinese territory.

13:09 Similarly, on the economic side,

13:11 it enables summer border of trade with China which

13:13 happens through these routes and it ultimately benefits local traders.

13:17 Similarly, the improved road connectivity now

13:19 in the Uttarakhand district boosts economic development of a remote area

13:24 of Uttarakhand which faces economic developmental deficit.

13:29 So, this has been the strategic,

13:30 economic and cultural importance as far as Lipulekh

13:34 Pass is concerned from India's point of view.

13:37 Okay?

13:37 Now, before we move on to a practice question,

13:39 there's an important announcement.

13:41 The topic that we just covered,

13:42 interplay is between geography, polity as well as economy.

13:46 So, similar linkages of topics are very necessary if

13:49 you have to go and successfully attempt your UPSC exam.

13:52 This kind of interlinkages we ensure that we

13:55 provide to our students in resolution batches.

13:57 In resolution batches, first of all,

13:59 separately each and every classes would happen

14:01 for all the subjects that you're required to prepare.

14:03 And in those classes, when you get the notes, when you get the lectures,

14:06 you'll realize how interlinkages between one subject and another is possible.

14:11 And this ability you need to demonstrate in your mains answer

14:13 writing which you also get to practice daily in the classes itself.

14:18 So, all of these benefits are exclusively part of resolution batches.

14:21 So, if you want to take admissions,

14:22 if you're willing to prepare for this exam either in 2026 or 2027 or 2028,

14:28 you can take admissions for 27 and 28 by using this code ATSLIVE.

14:32 If you apply this code before making the payment,

14:34 you're going to get maximum discounts.

14:36 And please remember, 2027 and 2028 batches, these are separate batches.

14:41 So, you're going to get acquainted according

14:42 to the preparation at that period of time.

14:45 Now, before we end up our today's discussion,

14:47 this is the question that I want you to solve.

14:49 I have paired passes with the state that they are located in.

14:53 Please do let me know which among these passes are correctly matched.

14:57 The answers in the comment section.

14:58 If you get it right, I'll get give you a thumbs up, right?

15:01 Now, before ending our today's discussion,

15:03 if you want to download the notes, this is where you'd find it.

15:06 The Telegram channel is called as ATSLIVE.

15:08 So, this is all from my side for today.

15:09 Please have a very good day.

15:11 We'll see each other again soon.