Dragon’s Shadow over South Asian Geo-Politics: A Case Study of Indo-Nepal Dispute over Lipulekh

(Sriraj Pradhan)

Abstract

Nepal lies between two giant nations India and China which is surrounded by India on the east, west and south and by China on the north. India and Nepal hold a strong relation since past many years but, recently the Kalapani border dispute has been one of the significant issues which needs to be resolved soon, as from the Indian context the Dispute is very significant as China is emerging as a great power and if there is any influence of China in Nepal then it will be threat to Indian Security. The dispute originated over the claim by Nepal experts that the east of the kali river should begin at the source of the river. The source according to them is in the mountains near Limpiyadhura. They claim that the land mass that falls to the east of the entire stretch starting from Limpiyadhura downwards is theirs. However, on the other hand India Claims that the border begins at Kalapni which India says where the river begins. In this situation both the countries mainly dispute about the different interpretation of the origin of the river and its various tributaries. The issue got highlighted recently when Indian BRO built an 80km road from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash Maansarovar. The region from where the road was built was tended by India but at present Nepal took it as threat to their sovereignty and shown their discomfort regarding the same. In this dispute China is continuously influencing Nepal as the Nepal Communist Party is in power as the ideologies of the party is similar to the Chinese government. The Kalapani dispute needs to be understand not only as a border dispute with Nepal but also as a threat from China to counter India’s Geo-strategy.

URL:  https://tinyurl.com/43mxjz5v 

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