Lipulekh Pass: In News
India has rejected Nepal’s objections to the resumption of India-China border trade through the Lipulekh Pass, asserting that Nepal’s claims are not grounded in historical facts.
- Nepal claims the Lipulekh as part of its territory according to its constitution.
- India reaffirmed that border trade through Lipulekh Pass began in 1954 and had been ongoing for decades before disruptions due to Covid-19.
- Lipulekh Pass is a high-altitude mountain pass in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, near the trijunction of India, Nepal, and China, linking Uttarakhand with Tibet.
- It serves as a gateway to the higher Himalayas and is historically significant as an ancient trade route connecting the Indian subcontinent with the Tibetan plateau.
- Lipulekh was the first Indian border post opened for trade with China in 1992, followed by Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh (1994) and Nathu La in Sikkim (2006).
- The Old Lipulekh Pass, situated in the Vyas Valley of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand holds immense religious importance as part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
