Nepal parliament to vote on new map in land dispute with India

Saturday, 13 June 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

KATHMANDU, (REUTERS): Nepal’s parliament is set to vote at the weekend on a new map of its border with India, an official said on Thursday, underlining the Himalayan nation’s determination to press its case in a land dispute that has strained ties with its giant neighbour.

Nepal published the revised map in May showing the sliver of land on its northwest tip as its territory, a move rejected by India, which controls the area and says the land belongs to it. The government has tabled the new map in parliament, seeking to amend the constitution and remove the old version.

“A house meeting has been scheduled for Saturday when the amendment is expected to be debated and put to vote,” parliamentary official Dashrath Dhamala told Reuters.

Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli had earlier said he has sought talks with India to seek to resolve the dispute over the small stretch of land, which includes the areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. “We have told (them) that we want to resolve this through diplomatic talks ... And the solution is that our land should be returned to us,” Oli said in parliament on Wednesday. There was no immediate comment from India on Oli’s latest statement.

But New Delhi rejected Nepal’s map when it was published in May, calling it a “unilateral act” that was not based on historical facts or evidence.