Lipulekh Dispute: What Is Known About the 1954 Agreement Cited by India? What Steps Can Nepal Take?

Following Delhi’s announcement this year that Indian pilgrims traveling to Kailash Mansarovar will use the Lipulekh Pass, the border dispute between Nepal and India over this region has intensified once again. Nepal’s government spokesperson, Minister Sasmit Pokharel, stated that due to the emergence of a ‘dispute’ along the border, the government has sent a diplomatic note. “We are clear that this is our land,” he said to journalists on Monday.

Addressing the issue, on May 3, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs reaffirmed its position as “consistent and clear,” noting that the pilgrimage to Mansarovar has been conducted via this route “since 1954.” This statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs comes amid the recent announcement that about 50 Indian participants, divided into 10 groups, will undertake the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage from June to August through Lipulekh, reigniting the controversy.

Delhi has repeatedly emphasized the Panchsheel Agreement signed on April 29, 1954, between India and China over the past few years. Officially titled the ‘Agreement on Trade and Intercourse Between the Tibet Region of China and India,’ it outlines five key points established seven decades ago between Delhi and Beijing. However, in discussions with two former directors of Nepal’s Survey Department, the 1954 agreement was described as lacking validity, and they stressed that it should not be used as a basis for moving forward.

Former Nepalese Ambassador to India, Deepakumar Upadhyay, noted that although India has acknowledged the controversial nature of the Lipulekh issue, there have never been effective, prioritized discussions on the matter. On April 20, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Nepal’s clear stance and concerns regarding the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh via diplomatic channels to both India and China.