RSP urges PM Oli to take up Lipulekh issue during upcoming visits to India, China

Kathmandu, Aug 26 (PTI) Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party on Tuesday expressed concerns over the recent agreement between New Delhi and Beijing to resume trade through Lipulekh pass and urged Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to raise the issue during his upcoming visits to India and China.

Nepal claims the area as its own territory, a claim that India has categorically rejected as "neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence".

In a statement, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the Himalayan nation's fourth-largest party, called on the government to take a firm stance to protect Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, claiming that these areas are an "integral part" of Nepal.

“No activity or agreement by any country on Nepali land is valid without Nepal’s consent,” said the statement issued by Shishir Khanal, head of the party's foreign relations department.

The party urged Prime Minister Oli to raise the issue of these areas during his upcoming visits to India and China.

PM Oli is set to visit China later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and will also travel to India, tentatively on September 16.

The RSP said that the dispute should be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means.

Last Tuesday, India and China agreed to resume border trade through Lipulekh pass and the two other trading points.

The next day, the Nepalese foreign ministry objected to the move, saying the territory is an "inseparable part" of Nepal.

Kathamandu's objection was categorically rejected by New Delhi, with External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying that India's position remains that "such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Any unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable." "India remains open to constructive interaction with Nepal on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy," he said. PTI SBP GRS GRS GRS