INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU: The upper house of Nepalparliament approved a new map of the country on Thursday including land controlled by India, in a row
that has strained ties between the South Asian neighbours.
India, which controls the region & a slice of land including the Limpiyadhura,
Lipulkeh and Kalapani areas to the west of Nepal & has rejected the map, saying it was not based on historical facts or evidence.
Members in
the 59-seat National Assembly, or upper house, voted 57-0 in favour of a constitutional amendment bill seeking to replace the old map,
chairman of the house Ganesh Prasad Timilsina said
The bill was passed by the lower house over the weekend.
&We have enough facts and evidence and we&ll sit (with India) to resolve the
dispute through diplomatic negotiations,& law minister Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe told parliament.
The new map requires President Bidhya Devi
Bhandariapproval.
The row over the map began last month after India inaugurated an 80-km (50-mile) road from the northern state of
Uttarakhand to Lipulekh on the border with the Tibet region of China, about 19 km of which passes through the area Nepal says belongs to
it.
The road cuts the travel time and distance from India to TibetMansarovar lake, considered holy by Hindus.
Nepal says the land belongs to
it as a river in the region formed its western border with India under an 1816 treaty with the British East India Company.
Nepal, which was
never a part of British India, and New Delhi differ over where the river originates.
The disputed land, about 372 square km (144 square
miles) in area, is strategically located at the tri-junction between Nepal, India and the Tibet region of China
India has kept a security presence in the area since a border war with China in 1962.
The post Nepalparliament approves new map including
territory controlled by India appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
