Kalapani

Subsequent maps drawn by British surveyors show the source of the boundary river at different places. This discrepancy in locating the source of the river has led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims. The Kali River runs through an area that includes a disputed piece of about 400 square km around the source of the river although the exact size of the disputed area varies from source to source.

Nonetheless, Kalapani has been controlled by India's Indo-Tibetan Border Police since the Sino-Indian War in 1962, without any objection from Nepal.

India considers Kalapani as part of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, while Nepal treats it as part of its Darchula district and an integral part of its country.

The Nepal government made the claim on Kalapani on November 6, 2019, a few days after India issued its new political map, which showed Kalapani as a part of the Indian Union. The Nepal government is clear that the area lies within its jurisdiction.

Nepal claims that the river located towards the west of the territory is the main Kali River and thus it falls in its territory, India, on the other hand, claims a ridgeline towards the east of the Kalapani territory and hence includes it in the Indian Union.

Under the treaty of Sugauli signed between Nepal and the British East India Company in 1816, the Kali River was located as Nepal's western boundary with India. It, however, made no mention of a ridgeline and subsequent maps of the areas drawn by British surveyors showed the source of the Kali River at different places.

This discrepancy has led to the boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps including the territory in their own area to support their claims. The exact size of the Kalapani territory also varies in different sources

However, Kalapani, though disputed between India and Nepal, is under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Uttarakhand state. But, according to Nepal, it lies in Darchula district in Sudurpashchim Pradesh. It is marked by the Kalapani River, one of the headwaters of the Kali River in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3600 to 5200 meters. It forms the boundary between India and Nepal in this region. However, India states that the headwaters of the river are not included in the boundary. Here the border runs along the watershed. This position dates back to British India as far back as c. 1865.

Today, Nepal claims all the area up to the Kalapani River. The Nepalese maps show this area, measuring 35 square kilometres, as part of Nepal's Darchula district.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s foreign ministry has stated that the Nepal government was committed to protecting its international border and any border-related issue between the two friendly countries needed to be resolved through the diplomatic channel, based on historical documents and evidence. This is a very prudent move, because, it rules out any armed clash between the disputants.

How the Kalapani dispute will, ultimately, be sorted out between India and Nepal, is too early to predict at present. But, there can be no question that India’s new map is a crass attempt to bully its neighbour by needlessly sparking a controversy. Worse, it betrays a new trend in India’s external policy, from acting like a peace-broker among the South Asian countries, to a troublemaker.