Why a commotion in Nepal due to a letter from Uttarakhand ... ??

Kathmandu, Ta. 28 July 2020, Tuesday

Controversy has erupted in Nepal over a letter sent by the Pithoragarh administration of Uttarakhand. Dharchula SDM Anil Kumar Shukla has written a letter urging the district administration of Nepal to stop Nepalis from entering Indian territory illegally. According to Nepali media reports, the letter said that Nepalis were sneaking into Gunj, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

The letter, addressed to the administration of Nepal's border district adjacent to Dharchula, said some groups were trying to cross the border illegally and entering Gunj, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura to attract media attention. This is causing trouble to the administrations of both the countries, so if you have any information about this, please let us know immediately.

The Nepali government has not responded to the letter but there has been a lot of discussion in the Nepali media about the letter. A leading Nepali newspaper has a cover story on its front page. It has been dubbed as "India's catastrophic letter - Nepalis are sneaking into Kalapani and Limpiyadhura."

Nepal is claiming three areas of India, Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura. It is also mentioned again in the Nepali newspaper and it is written that Kalapani has been with India for 58 years and entry of Nepalis is not possible. However, India is saying that Nepalis are secretly trying to infiltrate these areas.

Tensions have risen over the border dispute between India and Nepal. Nepal had opposed India's inauguration of the Kailash Mansarovar road link on May 8 at Lipulekh. India had proposed to hold a story on the border dispute issue after the end of the Koro epidemic. But Nepal then released a new map including Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.

After Nepal released a new map, officials there have begun to justify the illegal entry of Nepalis into India. According to a Nepali official named Sharad Kumar Pokhrel, the area mentioned by India is Nepalese land and there is no doubt about it. Nepali citizens are completely free to roam the land of Nepal and therefore have not yet responded to the district administration. The letter is 11 days old but we have notified the Home Ministry on Sunday after receiving the letter. In our opinion, Nepalis can move freely on their land and no one can stop them.

According to Pokhrel, they are waiting for instructions from above. The government has not decided whether it will respond to the issue through the External Affairs Ministry. This is currently being discussed at the central level. A Nepalese foreign ministry official said the border dispute should be resolved politically and diplomatically and discussions were underway. An official of the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Nepalis have not been to Limpiyadhura for decades and now they are suddenly trying to leave. Attempts are being made to humiliate and provoke us. Nepal should find a solution to this problem through serious diplomatic action.