23.08.2025

Lipulekh Pass

Context

India and China agreed to resume trade via Lipulekh Pass, but Nepal objected, calling it “unacceptable” since the pass lies within the disputed India–Nepal boundary region.

Location & Significance

• Situated in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, Lipulekh is a high-altitude Himalayan pass.
   
• It lies close to the India–Nepal–China tri-junction and connects Uttarakhand with Tibet (China).
   
• The pass is one of the traditional routes of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, significant for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.
   

India–Nepal Dispute

• In 2020, Nepal published a new political map showing Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani as part of its territory.
   
• Nepal cites the Treaty of Sugauli (1816), which defined the Kali River as the western boundary of Nepal.
   
• India maintains that Lipulekh lies on its side of the border, arguing that the origin of the Kali River is further east than what Nepal claims.
   
• The controversy has resurfaced due to the India–China trade reopening.
   

Historical Background

• Traditionally used as a trade route between India and Tibet.
   
• First reopened for India–China trade in 1992 after decades of closure.
   

Other Key Passes in the Himalayas

• Shipkila Pass (Himachal Pradesh): Connects India with Tibet; opened for tourism in 2025.
   
• Nathula Pass (Sikkim): Another route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra; reopened for trade in 2006.
   

Geopolitical Importance

• Lipulekh is strategically significant for India–China trade and connectivity.
   
• It also plays into regional geopolitics:
   
  • India seeks deeper engagement with China amid shifts in global trade and Western sanctions.
     
  • Both nations are also working together on multilateral platforms like BRICS.
     

Cultural & Tourism Dimension

• Included in the Bharat Ranbhumi Darshan Initiative (2025), which promotes tourism at India’s frontier regions, war memorials, and historic battlefields.
   

Conclusion

The Lipulekh dispute highlights South Asia’s fragile border sensitivities. Balancing trade interests with territorial concerns requires diplomatic dialogue, mutual respect, and regional cooperation to prevent escalation and ensure stability in this strategically important Himalayan corridor.