In the separate letters sent to Indian PM Modi, Chinese President Xi and Nepali PM Koirala, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said his party’s attention has been drawn to a provision of the India-China pact on expanding trade and cooperation during Indian PM Modi’s visit to China.

Our attention has been drawn to a provision of the recently concluded agreement between India and China on expanding trade and cooperation during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to China. “We believe that the paragraph 28 of the Joint Statement between India and China incorporating Lipulekh as bilateral trade route between the two countries runs against the provisions of the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, signed between Nepal and India,” Dahal wrote in the letters. “The treaty clearly states that the territories east of Kali River belong to Nepal.”

"Your Excellency is aware that Kalapani, of which Lipulekh is a part, is a sensitive issue closely linked to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nepal and must, therefore, be respected by all as such," the letters sent to PM Modi and Prez Xi further noted.

Reminding Indian PM Modi of a formal understanding reached between Nepal and India to resolve all the outstanding border issues, including Kalapani and Susta, during his Nepal visit last year, the UCPN (Maoist) has requested India and China to take necessary diplomatic initiative to address this genuine concern of the Nepali people by making appropriate correction in the above mentioned agreement.

“Our party urges the government to not take the issue pertaining to national sovereignty and territorial integrity lightly and take up immediate diplomatic measures to resolve the ‘Lipulekh’ issue in favour of national interests,” reads the letter sent to PM Koirala.

The Maoists party had earlier requested the government to initiate diplomatic measures on the issue. However, the government has not been able to show adequate seriousness on the subject and it is a matter of grave concern for Nepal, states the letter wrote to PM Koirala.