<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda899c7e80680e080274jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1438" height="1362"/>Nepal has been elected to a second term on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7iQJFhPO894iZt7803_apN_Kg2A">despite opposition from activists</a> who have accused the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) of dragging its feet on is out transitional justice, failure to address violence against women and Dalits and efforts to curtain freedom of expression.This time, Nepal was one of the candidates for four seats in the HRC together with Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia from the Asia-Pacific region. But Saudi Arabia was not elected.The election with 150 out of 193 votes at the UN headquarters in New York gave Nepal a new term from 2021-23. Nepal’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations tweeted: ‘It is yet another opportunity for Nepal to contribute to the protection &amp; promotion of HR globally.’Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali also tweeted: ‘We are grateful to the friendly nations for their support. Thanks to the Nepali Missions in New York and Geneva for hard work.’<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda8d9c7e80680e080275jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1222" height="420">However, many human rights group said Nepal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7iQJFhPO894iZt7803_apN_Kg2A">did not deserve to be re-elected</a> because it had not fulfilled pledges it made in 2017, including implementation of the transitional justice process, make the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) more effective, and promoting rights to free expression.Not only are these promises unfulfilled, they say, but there has been a worrying rise in deaths in detention while not been enough effort has gone into investigating and prosecuting those responsible for violence against Dalits and women in Nepal.In April, Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNET7gWIvKE-wTBN9H6Allms8cr6rg">Supreme Court </a>rejected a government appeal of the court’s 2015 decision that ordered amendments to the Transitional Justice Act because it allowed pardon for heinous crimes during the 1996-2006 Maoist conflict.The Commission on Truth and Reconciliation and the Commission on Enforced Disappearances have languished because of the lack of political will by both former adversaries who now make up the Nepali state to address them.Although Nepal has been praised for improvements in laws, including the Supreme Court decision this year on transitional justice, critics say it has lagged behind in implementation, allowing impunity to flourish.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda8f9c7e80680e080276jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1220" height="518">“Nepal suffers from a chronic problem of non-implementation of human rights protections. Laws get passed but go unenforced. Transitional justice processes and institutions continue to be subordinated to short-term political interests. Government after government, including the current one, fail to respect judicial decisions and even actively seek to compromise judicial independence,” Frederick Rawski, Asia-Pacific Regional Director at the <a href="https://www.icj.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.icj.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE2WYg-avFZqSeUR1mDqZx8VmLl7g">International Commission of Jurists</a> told this paper in September.Last month, Nepal had <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-again-pledges-progress-on-human-rights-if-elected-to-un-council/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-again-pledges-progress-on-human-rights-if-elected-to-un-council/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-j334FCDBdxCwgog1MyzyxSq7gw">renewed its pledge</a> to address human rights concerns and progress in transitional justice during a teleconference organised by Amnesty International and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Amrit Bahadur Rai had said: “I would like to assure all that there will be no blanket amnesty in cases of severe human rights violations committed during the conflict period,” he said.Nepal had been elected for the first term in 2017 to the 47-member Commission, which has 13 members from the Asia-Pacific. At that time, Nepal had secured 166 votes, which has now come down to 150. In Tuesday’s election Pakistan secured the most votes (169), Uzbekistan got 164 to become a UNHRC member for the first time, and China 139. Saudi Arabia won only 90 votes.Fifteen countries were elected, with Russia from Eastern Europe, France and Uk from Western Europe, and Cuba from Latin America and the Caribbean region.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602730211285000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7iQJFhPO894iZt7803_apN_Kg2A">Does Nepal deserve a 2nd term at the UNHRC?</a>

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

1250x600

1084x550

Nepal elected to 2nd term at UNHRC

<figure><img width="1714" height="1172" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4199c7e80680e07bb83jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>The contrast between Nepal’s human rights promises and reality on the ground is glaring, but indications are that the country will be elected to a new term on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva in October.Rights groups have accused the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is out to scuttle the transitional justice process, its failure to effectively investigate and prosecute violence against women and Dalits, the introduction of new bills designed to limit freedom of expression, including of the media, and proposals that further threaten the independence of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).  Nepal’s rivals for one of four HRC seats for the Asia-Pacific region for the council’s 2021-23 term are China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. And Nepal’s human right’s record is the best of that lot.On Wednesday, China and Saudi Arabia were no-shows for an online, civil society <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGf-Hj3iLXw&amp;feature=youtu.be" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DNGf-Hj3iLXw%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHgBwJHJzA49BQxrJQxIXndsWnFnQ">‘pledging event’</a> at the UN in New York to quiz contenders. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, did attend and repeated promises on human rights, including LGBTQI rights.“The Government of Nepal is committed to resolving the issues related to transitional justice based on the victims concerns, the Supreme Court’s directives of 2015, the various instruments to which Nepal is a party, the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the ground realities,” Rai told the online event.“I’d like to assure all that there will be no blanket amnesty in cases of severe human rights violations committed during the conflict period,” he added during the event organised by Amnesty International and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR). <figure><img width="640" height="380" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb41c9c7e80680e07bb84jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Amrit Bahadur Rai</figcaption></figure>Rai said Nepal’s citizenship act is being amended to include a third gender, ‘Other’, and that people claiming it will not have to produce medical evidence of a change in gender. He added: “I would emphasise that we need to change our value set, our perception and our mindset, and the Government of Nepal will do more in promoting rights and protecting the rights of the LGBTIQ community.”According to a <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/countryscorecards-07_nepal.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/countryscorecards-07_nepal.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGMT-9WQ3i0t-6XuaN8Gg55WoOLGw">scorecard produced by ISHR</a>, Nepal got 9/18 human rights benchmarks while its closest competitor, Uzbekistan, reached 6/18.Nepal loses points is in its dealings with ‘special procedures’, human rights experts devoted to specific issues, like torture or child rights. According to the scorecard, Nepal has not:- issued a standing invitation to special procedures to visit the country- responded positively to country visit requests (with fewer than five such requests outstanding)- sent a substantive reply to more than 80% of communications received from special proceduresEarlier this year, ISHR New York Director Eleanor Openshaw <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFdwZ3mW08MoXUUz9VNhShBiBBMoA">told Nepali Times</a> that cooperating with the experts is a sign that a country is serious about improving human rights, both at home and globally. “If you don’t cooperate that is unacceptable,” she said.This week, Openshaw added: “Nepal faces influential challengers. However, it is a current member of the Council seeking a second term. When first elected in 2017,  Nepal received the highest number of votes for regional candidates. I would be surprised if Nepal were not re-elected.”None of the western governments known to take an interest in human rights in Nepal contacted by Nepali Times earlier this year would reveal if they planned to support the government’s candidacy. However, it is rumoured that voting decisions are based on broader geo-political interests of UN member states, and the country groupings that they belong to.Along with the scorecard, ISHR worked with Nepal’s Advocacy Forum, Blue Diamond Society and Collective Campaign for Peace to develop <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/nepal.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/nepal.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF15TSS93grX7DQUXGz0HvW6F2Ttw">recommendations for Nepal</a>. They include:- Protecting the constitutional right of freedom of expression, and allow journalists to carry out their work freely and independently.- Ensure human rights violations are investigated, including ensuring police register First Information Reports on cases of violations, victims are provided with remedies and perpetrators are held accountable.- End gender-based violence and caste-based discrimination, and ensure effective implementation of the rights of women, indigenous peoples, Dalits, Muslims, Madheshi and sexual minorities as guaranteed in the Constitution.- End excessive use of force by the police to impose the lockdown, physically assaulting people coming out of their home for an essential purpose such as health workers.- Do not sideline the transitional justice process under the guise of COVID-19 and amend the Enforced Disappearance Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, as required by the 2015 ruling of the Supreme Court and in line with international legal standards.Fifteen of the HRC’s 47 seats are up for election next month, while just 16 candidates are in the mix. Only the Asia-Pacific region will see a competitive election — all other candidates will automatically get a place at the HRC table.<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/Pledges.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/Pledges.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFf9BEqo8fIj7SgfcnMWVRQZwzxGA">According to the UN General Assembly</a>, when they are electing HRC members UN member states should take into account how candidates have contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights.In June, Nepal released the <a href="https://undocs.org/A/75/97" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://undocs.org/A/75/97&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGa7NO9OhOMWAUqGdmNcFKUtMs_ag">pledges and commitments</a> it promises to fulfil if elected. They include:- Make every possible effort in addressing, through transitional justice mechanisms, the cases related to the violation of human rights during the conflict period- Ensure the independence of the judiciary for the protection of human rights- Foster the growth and development of a free media- Continue to maintain a conducive environment for the operation of human rights defenders and civil society organisations- Strengthen the National Human Rights Commission in the protection and promotion of human rights- Fully enable all the constitutional commissions to fulfill their mandates effectively towards ending discrimination and creating an inclusive, just and prosperous Nepali society.On <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/news/hrc-elections-how-do-candidates-2021-rate-and-what-have-they-pledged-do-council-members" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/news/hrc-elections-how-do-candidates-2021-rate-and-what-have-they-pledged-do-council-members&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEqTPeV-X6WTnAsb7rkSCGgXNILTw">her organisation’s website</a>, Salma El Hosseiny, ISHR’s Human Rights Council Advocate, advises, 'Voting states should urge all of the candidates states to commit to implementing these concrete measures, and to ensure meaningful and broad consultation with independent civil society in the process.’ <figure><img width="800" height="450" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb41e9c7e80680e07bb85jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Pay upCountry representatives at the pledging event were asked to confirm that they would be making their annual payments on time and were encouraged to give voluntary contributions. One of Nepal’s rival for an HRC seat, Pakistan, announced a $50,000 open-ended contribution. Nepal, on the other hand, reminded the UN that it has an outstanding bill.“The United Nations owes Nepal about US$38 million as a reimbursement (for its peacekeeping contribution), and if we do not get that reimbursement on time, we’ll have difficulty to send our peacekeepers on the ground. So we strongly urge all our fellow member states to pay their assessed budget in full and on time,” said Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amrit Bahadur Rai.What is the UN Human Rights Council?- 47 States elected by the UN General Assembly- Replaced the UN Human Rights Commission in 2006- Holds multiple sessions in Geneva annually- Members elected for three-year terms from five geographical regions- Includes Universal Periodic Review, which examines the human rights records of all 193 UN member states once every 4.5 years- ‘Responds to human rights emergencies and makes recommendations on how to better implement human rights on the ground. The council has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and country-specific situations that require its attention.’- The decisions of the council are not legally binding.

Nepal again pledges progress on human rights if elected to UN council

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141136/636bad559c7e80680e077f8ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="647"/>At a time when Nepal is preparing for a second term at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), an international rights group says its record on transitional justice and other issues means it does not deserve re-election.Nepal first became a member of the UNHRC in Geneva two years ago, and it will have to lobby for a second term 2021-2023. But rights groups say Nepal has <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/">not fulfilled pledges it made in 2017</a> when it was campaigning to be elected to the council.Those pledges included addressing human rights violations during the Maoist conflict, strengthening the capacity of the <a href="https://www.nhrcnepal.org/">National Human Rights Commission</a> (NHRC) to investigate abuses, support the freedom of expression.However, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/nepal">Human Rights Watch (HRW)</a> said <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUZ0Azcvksdm7RxiDj2FVh-2FHkvxDADNtRq80wBxHlSJJJ_rdi_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx8gsvWGYL7mpEbx99YZGGcqRsPVxNZrMVOZWFikMBfBPGojdnHRyzM6Vo-2B-2FOfzA29Lmeh4Clkje4rjEQ-2Fv599qBlZGrXbx5pQT5QJgeH-2BoNzMSeaOgO91EgR-2FemuOdVYP2nhfBIgTCVM7Bi76k7bxIo-3D">Nepal</a> had failed to live up to its pledges on transitional justice, and had not acted on recommendations from a previous review of its record on rights. In a <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz5o34WJ4E3fvKCh6VDxg4iz3MPR5RDePOykMlHmsNR9-2BerlRq0kZoVLrWDgT8SPBEpRKHYScy2ywZi9nbO9-2F7q-2B57nb_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx1UKkWDwxk3TvZGJq9Cbb0To4w3lpxN0nf2PyzMUujV1LU7tuNDQAQXdKmTubYIreHrx6VUUzuSB2CM5xJOKhgkHxNeFkfHHEgrUl9F2p6aROlHmEB4D53dDIk7ok-2Bari-2B1FdREWB5lJ8KrkaCkXbRk-3D">submission</a> to the Council for Nepal’s forthcoming review, HRW listed a series of lapses ahead of a Universal Periodic Review under which UNHRC reviews a country’s human rights record every five years.In its previous review, <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUSF5PhIz8D8WlLDOg1wjIsinLpGQGfewVmzhVCmafN8edDvBh1s-2FXVCGpBLGwHqy7MHAZH92nKQqsH7wbdd29F8MoxIWy8NvWEhF-2F5UdsE4cWAMoBBlTJFOphzWQzJmlLZ-2BtlWezixCyzFGgHg-2BZ3OQmkFDbqJDPf5mkW0Vc5V2YdNPWeBaM4KLJgpqNbw-2FirVKb4d-2FazrhzuBB11kABzQPFM4UDXUV7NN-2BStsSS0hZfOB5e_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx8Amd4z-2FSTtLUx2sKu7lQY41u9gBcQCZKrIAMcIMGU-2FovH3uxQkF-2FG9-2FQdh88brJtnSeFofRD5nGkvoskfdyUzNN1WhX-2F4JtFvwcLUf1NTT6UB2KQ-2BvXovSk-2BP1LFZTW5VISy-2BqoZ0VCfBmnFlPhKLc-3D">Nepal had pledged to </a>address <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz7OWyBIyiixU8qKMo7A7I9gUvXM4P76ToPWOylKtbJ3aWpELvnjW0RIaRi4sbEzY90-3D9a7v_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx5X0WDoAmXYPAS2ByQwPjEICkrU-2B1kef9fE-2Boc2TeS6jy-2FC1teqnbJ0HQyfKcY3y3GYhLkgalrrUpIwlpeob3JY2IjdL3pkB2A2y-2F1OBqx92caDczOZ-2BHRlLRdX5I8pNAaKIS9paDGPuMmjfI8hzRHo-3D">sexual and gender-based violence</a>,  change <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUa3ardMbKDCkk7rA2uKRUi1-2BoYQgik2pBRZX8N6RsvwbOmmY-2BDzhAphF2lyHSazfkMBW-2BEodRjC7ucMhLWzQcbnu9LA0OtaL1pZj129BehahgLwDXKoHiQykZ9CM-2Fv4Par4WJgZhjRiIcFleFZCEsVib60HgPsxVo4k3NftVSRn4xDS89Nk9wHC-2FoPdTnRheIdyN54iIRWwCNJp-2FlB71esDnRr1LuKMcAcLT3gRVlFTr0hfE3eM6j3bMu8J-2FIl0SGg-3D-3Dct_N_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx1c-2FR-2B29yU2bJ25n-2FbBdOeMEX2RooEoDT2QwU6glwT0X7r-2FUjMsd4ijmvit0GqZqPHk-2F3nq9iCi0-2BDzIdDqPHwzC9F7oDiHj8J9Ngxn-2BeWnhLNb75ctoykTphpky6VAiJJ0Q8ST-2Ft-2BWzdmgKKYrDhw4-3D">constitutional provisions that discriminate against women</a>, to act on <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz6yX71l2zohdkZqVTnWr0X-2FdVaDqubhy9L3voYt3dNfxmVDU-2BZH61YVcpz58dkd5-2B4Il8jySRDrFb-2FRI-2FEt7Hx4a9av_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx5xXUyGzRaobEbm6dPGFw0g7P6ivzGW61-2B8fdO9Irz7QeCtspaRw843lpIpbV4pFzaiWE8iUzSHxO-2BzNKMHu4gKQwfnh9ecivmVRbzHsGgh5GmZj0hPm7lZvOoDSUn4sxa7-2Fq1gkYg53MCVmrB5AOo4-3D">caste and ethnic discrimination</a>, and protect <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz6V-2BFh4G3NiqC-2Bk2Qx9gCN9rPIheBnjfqjWtH1UcfrAa8gd9Z1JG153rLkxZV4lepnelNUCpESdUlQ2v5qKTBHascMq_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx4fSig4gcOGjrue2ofrblzATDSVR-2B2aQ4ARKFnZArMEaROPkHFzUTEXK2XgJq4pNEW-2B2hwx-2BBe4kjtrrYCBoymoF6HXWDbdwzFP9Zp4AztgMOYrHgyTqTzjuIH2yNeRh0-2BW34ls3hUNI-2FQHKirlRALw-3D">freedom of expression</a>.However, the government has done none of these things, while <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz5iMTqTnF6LNu3N9ChQTx4oreMy6QbDeagiINu5hRW0A73s4HZFfjYU3HBRWVcMC6cIAp9LC63lRNG4q9z8CLSGwXElDvXMqFDNXGrTOwoxSNU1Ry19VtcylIcIclwNktA-3Dtip8_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx9NvPpDR7TpP3U-2B1rRAdK2pwIliiRcJz3TVlNb-2FSM-2FeGRIdgzL5uFnwG2HsvV1wllYU56AYxPnulI4BiK03OMVZp5U7IBK5nYNl7urL8Jlr4b4bL8Cm4-2FXmY-2BWJy6KylnoZPq1THfR5usiO3DfOv3Ws-3D">impunity for abuses</a> committed during and after the 1996-2006 conflict prevails, HRW said in a statement ahead of the review.“Whether it is international pledges or the 2015 constitution, Nepal has made big promises, but the policies that followed do not indicate a commitment to ensuring justice for conflict-era abuses or to protecting human rights going forward,” said <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUZSUZsKQffopO3djP-2FXiLsskiG1Q6gEMW5ijTZcdpHqg1VNHdLPEKhbJiQPkGKrCUA-3D-3D8l-7_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIx7XfaFirqIG-2FU0rvz9JaGyYv9VCpyXk5Iqh290OgqqhHeRySR0odeRRWMxLWUWLoWC7lmOgs4O8mnpZFDFKUu95bUxnKQb2d9imwZKdLW0NQ04xT-2FPmJEr6F3ikygcCc-2FkFXCu7vmjKpA3gKIcuMQ6M-3D">Meenakshi Ganguly</a>, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “During the review, member states should remind the Nepal government that it needs to do much better in upholding the civil, political, economic, and social rights of the Nepali people.”HRW is especially critical of controversial moves during the past two and half years of the Nepal Communist Party-led government of Prime Minister K P Oli. HRW noted that there were <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUb5yH3-2BeXtQTvnT-2B-2BUMEEz7ixaa1OamEVAMFydThxSuaoX59QwBPkLht1Z-2F72OA0AlkDM-2BZdM4MsVHYGYZyopfBwXdr3ZK6EhBsK8QXCTF6N6kD0_Fw9I6ls453wh9AcW9OcnAOdGLtHJQWmb6iisfhwxtIq4cgv1hxIGfTT-2B5pfz1Yut1AYBfygiwzcvXcgfqPi9ntuythdBtXXTqNZResrOwvnlVp4B94uKE4s6tN0CpIjAwmpNKmiEzLXGRPVsT03QRWUYuYAr5aePrcAFRi8kSVsetBIH4sc05Ll05FwXaxrJC1OltxZ77wI1z3zisBWIxwvy42PBJPC3sVccGLbfBAkZrh6WPIjKWEdOMdzh33hzRqiE-2BEjuX5z9BBm1WfLthD9MwFWIhxXOXrw4aIuhK9cVczy4PXZ3DeAaDI-2BhOTuoYh9fOwqUY5BOJKWB7vAX0G7x-2BFrPJfeyv1KghQIuuI4-3D">several pieces of legislation in Parliament</a> that would weaken freedom of expression if passed into law.Instead of enhancing the capacity of the NHRC to pursue justice, the government has also proposed legislation that would weaken the it, HRW says, adding that the government was also putting in place policies that would restrict the activities of non-profits and human rights groups.

Will Nepal get 2nd term at UNHRC?

This is the first instalment in a new limited series in Nepali Times on the historic transportation infrastructures of Nepal. Nepal’s Forest Railways As<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-border-trains-that-connected-nepal"> India’s railway network </a>expanded in the 1890s and 1900s, the demand for wooden railway sleepers, called ‘ties’ in America, likewise increased. The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/the-rana-reign-a-recap-of-history,3751">Rana regime</a> realised that western Nepal’s dense forests, from which sal trees could be extracted and sold, represented a valuable source of revenue. There was a problem of accessing large tracts of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests">Tarai forests</a>. However, once Indian railway lines are extended to Nepal’s border in several places, this issue could be resolved by constructing logging railways, also known as ‘tramways’ or ‘light railways’. The Nepal Government awarded a contract to Punjabi timber contractors to supply 15,000 sal sleepers to Chandan Chauki station of India’s Oudh &amp; Rohilkhand State Railway in 1908. The contractors also received a concession to construct a steam tramway to run 48km into <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/reviving-nepals-community-forestry-success-story">Nepal’s forests</a> for cutting and transporting trees. The author found no records, however, indicating that such an ambitious tramway was built in 1908. The hewn logs were probably carried into India by bullock carts or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/elephants-become-white-elephants">elephants</a>. The earliest known forest railway in Nepal was built in 1914 in the southwestern corner of the present-day Parsa district. A British engineer went to the Indian border town of Bikna Thori to plan a 4-mile portable light railway for the transport of timber from <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-the-tri-junction-of-wildlife-conservation-conflict-and-co-existence">the forest of Chitwan </a>to the Thori depot on the Bengal &amp; Northwestern Railway. This short line was laid upon wooden sleepers, and its rails could be taken up and repositioned when logging in one section of the forest was completed. This forest railway was in operation at least through 1917.&nbsp; A few year down the line in 1923, J V Collier of the Indian Forest Service built a narrow-gauge railway in Kailali district also to export of timber to India. This line, the Nepal Government Forest Railway, departed Chandan Chauki in Uttar Pradesh and ran 48km northwest into Nepal.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250824150820_84ddef57433c2f847b2c7e56c2d9c924084b6e6a504bbca905d2c593fac8eabd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250824150820_84ddef57433c2f847b2c7e56c2d9c924084b6e6a504bbca905d2c593fac8eabd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1130" height="689" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's little railways"> <figcaption>A Nepal Government Forest train in Kailali District hauling sal sleepers in 1925. Photo: DAVID CHURCHILL </figcaption> </figure>  It was a 2-foot railway supported by 11kg rails. The line was ‘temporary’ in that as sal trees were thinned out in one area, railway tracks were shifted to uncut areas of the forest. The railway crossed seven small <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-what-is-left-of-himalayan-rivers">rivers</a>, but the bridges were taken down during the summer and monsoon. Trains ran only from November to April. This forest railway purchased four 4-6-0T ‘tank’ engines built in Leeds, England. Each bogie could carry 100 broad-gauge sleepers, and two engines were needed to haul a 21-car train loaded with 2,100 sleepers. This huge commercial forest operation once employed about 14,000 men, most of them Indians. During one season, nearly 800,000 broad and metre-gauge sleepers were exported to India. When India suffered a depression in 1930, large scale operations came to an end. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/rust-in-peace?fbclid=IwAR1_eg88TCOS6RGRW1af7WvaWx5mzh_rY8-vT1MnJxSs41QtCpaA988oXk8">Rust in peace</a>, Daniel W Edwards  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250824150828_13a0b894b9ea0c478904d358028f0c976d84f284432ee25106787366598d38e5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20250824150828_13a0b894b9ea0c478904d358028f0c976d84f284432ee25106787366598d38e5" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's railways"> <figcaption>Rails extended north from this spot into the virgin sal forests of Bardia in western Nepal 100 years ago.  DANIEL W EDWARDS</figcaption> </figure>  A third railway was built in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-big-bulls-of-bardia">Bardia </a>where some scattered rails and signs of an old roadbed were seen in the 1960s. It ran from Nishangada in India to Khairbhatti in Nepal. From there, stations heading south were Ranipur, Karmak, Taratal and Madhuwan. Collier likely <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-train-project-struggles-to-stay-on-track">built this railway </a>as well in the 1920s. An elderly man in Bardia in 2022, whose father had worked on this forest railway, was interviewed for this account. Kathmandu Valley’s Motor (Trolley) Railway Merchants importing goods from India via the<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/business/ropeways-connecting-nepal,1749"> ropeway</a> Chandra Shamsher built in 1927 had to go to the ropeway’s terminus at Matatirtha near Thankot to claim their goods and then haul them 6km to the customs house Bhansar Adda at Teku for clearance and payment of customs duties. The Motor Railway was built to carry goods from the<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16839"> ropeway station </a>directly to the customs office, making it cheaper and more convenient for merchants to receive their shipments. In December 1931, Prime Minister Bhim Shamsher issued an order (sanad) putting Lt Gen Singha Shamsher Rana in charge of building this rail line to Teku and on to ‘Nabalak Khana’ in Tripureswar, a distance of 10km. The project was subdivided into four sections or ‘phant’, and for each, budgets and timelines were established. There was bato phant (constructing the roadbed), lik sleeper and jordne phant (laying sleepers and joining the rails), culvert phant (installing culverts) and pul phant (building bridges). Colonel Kishore Narsingh Rana was put in charge of the sleeper and rail section, while Colonel Dilli Jung Thapa, an engineer at Ghar Kaj Adda, also was involved. The Motor Railway was completed by the end of 1933. In the beginning, the railway’s small wagons may have been pulled and pushed by men and bullocks. However, in 1938 a British railway manufacturer sent Nepal a four-wheel, 5½ ton, 2-foot narrow-gauge diesel-powered locomotive with mechanical transmission, hence the name motor railway. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-railways-janakpur-test-drive?fb_comment_id=3554227181262227_4263866616964943">Nepal Railways Janakpur test drive</a> Leaving Matatirtha, the trains passed Satungal, Naikap, the Bishnudevi Temple, crossed an iron bridge over Balkhu Khola, then to Ghattepakha, Sunagau, through what is now a section of Kuleshwor (‘Lik Marg’) to the Customs Office at Teku.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250825020852_033f0cee9775d7dadde7811132f84da876f614c386e3677e560ba7aed79909d9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="20250825020852_033f0cee9775d7dadde7811132f84da876f614c386e3677e560ba7aed79909d9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="railways in Nepal"> <figcaption>Lik Marg in Kuleswor, the former route of the Motor Trolley Railway. Photo: DANIEL W EDWARDS</figcaption> </figure>  In 1945, Motor Trolley had four engines, but spare parts was badly needed. The charge for transporting one maund (about 40kg) of cargo from Matatirtha to Teku was 50 paisa. Even though the trains ran slowly and only for a short distance, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/fatalism-and-fatalities">accidents were not unknown</a>. A train loaded with rice, salt and cotton derailed on a curve in July 1946, and two railway employees were crushed under the cars and killed, five others were injured. Besides the driver and a brakeman, guards rode the trains to prevent theft of goods.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250824150836_63a327d4db3b067a23dd5c6cf17a31ffe811ffd4a8429bc31011d62298a90060.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20250824150836_63a327d4db3b067a23dd5c6cf17a31ffe811ffd4a8429bc31011d62298a90060" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's railways"> <figcaption>The author by the remains of the Balkhu Khola bridge built in 1932 with American steel. Photo: JEEVAN NEPAL</figcaption> </figure>  By 1953, government budget estimates indicated the Motor Railway would break even with an income of Rs70,000 against Rs71,000 in expenditure. It appears the railway stopped service around 1957 with the opening of the Raj Path and the extension of the ropeway from Matatirtha to Bhansar Adda. Bent steel beams of the bridge across Balkhu Khola and two plaques recovered from the river a few years ago are the only remains of this railway today. Photos of the Motor Trolley Railway in operation are hard to come by.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250825020848_3a7cd17d0ffc36bbf5fdad404f5f6e91c7aa0e4f4ed729ed2c7e9c186f32ca9b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_18" data-image-id="20250825020848_3a7cd17d0ffc36bbf5fdad404f5f6e91c7aa0e4f4ed729ed2c7e9c186f32ca9b" data-rendition-name="original" width="5189" height="1979" loading="lazy" alt="railways in Nepal"> <figcaption>Steel plaque commemorating the construction of a Motor Trolley bridge across the Balkhu Khola. Photo: DANIEL W EDWARDS</figcaption> </figure>  The Kosi Project Railway (KPR) As early as 1941, India and Nepal considered building a dam on<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kosi-s-sorrow-and-scope"> the Kosi River</a> to prevent destructive floods caused by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/when-it-rains-it-pours-ksqprbu3">monsoon rains</a>. Floods in 1950 inundated 500 villages in Bihar and left 500,000 people homeless. The two governments signed an agreement in 1954 to build a barrage on the Kosi, and King Mahendra and Prime Minister Nehru laid the foundation stone in April 1959. To transport stones from a quarry near Dharan to use in mixing concrete at the construction site, the Indian government, in charge of building the barrage, made plans to build a narrow-gauge railway linking Bihar and its border town of Bhimnagar with Nepal’s settlements at Chakraghatti, Chatra and Ghopa, the outskirts of Dharan.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250824150816_fc5e13b01022c63c64f1e83589da0015eee7ecd002bdd3d97b88c98c1f3d45b7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="20250824150816_fc5e13b01022c63c64f1e83589da0015eee7ecd002bdd3d97b88c98c1f3d45b7" data-rendition-name="original" width="4011" height="2645" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's railways"> <figcaption>Steel plaque commemorating the construction of a Motor Trolley bridge across the Balkhu Khola. Photo: DANIEL W EDWARDS</figcaption> </figure>  The section of the KPR in Nepal totaled 66km — the country’s longest railway to date. The stations south of Chakraghatti were Rajabas, Maduhuwan, Kushaha, Haripur and Bhantabari. The line built, operated and owned by the Indian Government, was opened in 1958 and known locally as Dhunge (stone) Rail. Procuring locomotives, wagons and other materials was a challenge. India’s Railway Board searched the country for old 41 lb rails, and located steam engines, most built around 1910, in poor condition, and stored in ‘retirement’. These decrepit locomotives were later cannibalised for parts to keep the remaining engines running, and six newer locomotives built in Yugoslavia were sent to the KPR in 1960 to prevent the railway from shutting down and halting construction of the barrage.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250824150832_fd644f9e2674c5047a531de5dfeb2c8860b0f93dddc7a2df3db867bf31b2c94b.bmp" data-media-id="editor_22" data-image-id="20250824150832_fd644f9e2674c5047a531de5dfeb2c8860b0f93dddc7a2df3db867bf31b2c94b" data-rendition-name="original" width="3171" height="2069" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's railways"> <figcaption>KPR locomotives, water tank and staff at Chakraghatti in Nepal. Photo: JOHN BENSON</figcaption> </figure>  Used bogie-wagons (gondolas) came from <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-nepal-rail-diplomacy">Indian railways</a> that had been converted to metre-gauge, others were manufactured in Muzaffarpur without couplers due to the non-availability of steel. A hundred new wagons arrived from Japan, but only half could be put in service, as couplers from the other 50 were removed and attached to the Muzaffarpur wagons. This smorgasbord of equipment kept shop mechanics and work crews busy, but now-abandoned railways in Nepal always operated under less-than-ideal conditions. Although the purpose of the KPR was to transport gravel, stones and boulders to the site of the barrage, photographs show people riding in loaded wagons. Excluding Dharan, there was no bus service through the wild animal infested jungle between Dharan and Chakraghatti or along the dusty paths linking other small villages on the KPR, so patient locals sat in wagons at Dharan, waiting perhaps for hours for trains to depart.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250825020852_7d011dcc8e9b8cb0fe745b352486ebc4a84dac99419eadb35875333db20837c6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_24" data-image-id="20250825020852_7d011dcc8e9b8cb0fe745b352486ebc4a84dac99419eadb35875333db20837c6" data-rendition-name="original" width="3965" height="2659" loading="lazy" alt="railways in Nepal"> <figcaption>Ticketless riders on a train of gravel and stones in the forest between Dharan and Chakragatti in 1966. Photo: JOHN BENSON</figcaption> </figure>  Sons of former railway workers in Chakraghatti say that there were no fixed schedules, three or four trains ran both ways daily in the early 1960s. Southbound trains carried gravel, stones and boulders, while northbound trains would carry coal, cement and provisions, including sacks of coins to pay the workers. Trains even ran at night, and the crews worked long hours. Workers received free housing in project-built tenements but had to buy food supplies and items for personal use. The Babu Saheb or the superintendent lived at Chakraghatti, and at one time supervised more than 1,000 employees, nearly all of them from India. The barrage was completed in 1964, but by 1970, the Kosi Project Railway had passed into history. Daniel W Edwards was a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966 and is the author of several books on Nepal.

Nepal’s five little railways

The cost of preserving Nepal’s past

Turkish Airlines is official airline partner for the second edition of the Vatsalya Everest Women’s Volleyball League (EWV). The league, scheduled for 5-13 September, will take place in Pokhara and feature 18 international players alongside elite Nepali volleyball talent. The agreement was signed by Turkish General Manager Serkan Başar, and EWV CEO Snevy Chapagain. “Turkish Airlines’ support ensures a seamless journey and adds immense prestige to the league’s goal of women’s empowerment through sports as well as the agenda of sports tourism,” said Chapagain. “We are thrilled to partner with Vatsalya Everest Women’s Volleyball League as the official airline. With this association, we aim to support women role models in sports. We believe this association will connect countries to Nepali volleyball,” remarked Basar.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250825030844_36df66612152abbea71f15579358a2bb0fe797f21cbe7e7c7f28e3fe91655ae4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250825030844_36df66612152abbea71f15579358a2bb0fe797f21cbe7e7c7f28e3fe91655ae4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Turkish"> </figure>

Turkish to sponsor women’s volleyball league

India and China have a long-standing border dispute along their Himalayan border which has erupted in violent skirmishes. But Indian and Chinese officials last week agreed to ignore Nepal’s own border dispute with India to facilitate trade. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs this week flatly rubbished <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Nepal’s territorial claims</a> to the Lipulek Pass and the Kalapani Region, including Limpiyadhura, which Nepal considers as the source of the Mahakali River that forms Nepal’s western border with India. The latest episode in this dispute has come as Sino-Indian relations have thawed after US President Donald Trump slapped <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-and-the-us-india-tariff-tiff">sanctions on Indian exports</a>. The joint communiqué in Beijing said India and China had agreed to resume their border trade through the Nathu La, Sipki La and Lipulek during Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi. Lipulek is a pass 10 km north-east of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/there-is-precedent-to-settling-kalapani">Kalapani</a> which has been disputed ever since the Survey of India published its 1879 map, where the source of the Mahakali was suddenly shifted from Limpiyadhura to Lipulek.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250826060824_4e68dd5964e0995b91148de9978a1de52b19691e1b01f52a405924fd130c22bd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250826060824_4e68dd5964e0995b91148de9978a1de52b19691e1b01f52a405924fd130c22bd" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="2083" loading="lazy" alt="Lipulek dispute explainer"> </figure>  This tributary of the Mahakali was called the Kali on this map, and is a fordable tributary and not the main channel of the border river. The main Kali River was renamed Kuti Yangdi, and this happened while the British were still in India presumably to gain access to the Lipulek in contravention of the 1816 <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/borderline-disorder">Sugauli Treaty</a>.&nbsp; This subterfuge continued even after India gained independence in 1947. Nepal has maintained that the main channel of the Kali is the border as per the 1816 treaty, when Nepal lost a third of its territory to British India. It is all well and good that India and China are now friendly enough to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19447">open border trade</a> routes, but it should not be in violation of Nepal’s territorial integrity. Nepal should be called for diplomatic and political negotiations regarding the Lipulek pass and the Kalapani region comprising Limpiyadhura.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/when-xi-meets-modi-and-oli">When Xi meets Modi and Oli</a>, Kanak Mani Dixit China and India, but especially the latter, should invite Nepal to discuss these issues and iron out the disputes based on facts and evidence and maps. Nepal had sent seven diplomatic notes to India and three to China so far regarding the Lipulek and Kalapani. India has not responded to any of them. China replied once saying that Nepal and India should sort out their border disputes first before voicing their opinions. Nepal welcomes the recent talks between India and China that it hopes will positively impact on settling border disputes that are mostly stalled since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the 73-day military standoff over the disputed Doklam region between China and Bhutan, and the 2020 Galwan clash in Ladakh. Nepal’s two large neighbours seem to have come to their senses and realised that it is in their interest to collaborate rather than confront each other when President <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/trump-s-first-month">Trump is acting erratically</a> with threats of sanctions and tariffs.&nbsp; Prime Minister K P Oli should bring up Nepal’s grave concerns about the Lipulek during his state visit to India next month when he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bodh Gaya. The two are also expected to meet next week at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin when Chinese President Xi Jinping will also be present. But even before that Nepal should send diplomatic notes to both the Indian and the Chinese governments regarding their agreement to resume border trade through the Lipulek.&nbsp; Here is a timeline of the developments regarding the Lipulek: Sino-Indian Agreement of 1954 This 8-year Agreement on Trade and Exchange between Tibet and India was signed in Peking on 29 April, 1954 by the Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Chang Han Fu and the Indian Ambassador Nedyam Raghavan.&nbsp; There was no explicit mention on the border settlements either on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) or on Ladakh, although trade and pilgrimage through Lipulek and other 5 passes (Sipki La, Mana Pass, Niti Pass, Kungri Bingri Pass and Dharma Pass) were agreed upon.&nbsp; Trade between Uttar Pradesh state and the Tibet Autonomous Region was through ‘border &nbsp;point of the agreement states: ‘With a view to facilitating the visits of persons engaged in border trade and the exchange of commodities and means of transportation, (India and China) have decided that Lipulek (Qiangla) be the border pass for the entrance and exit of the said persons, commodities and means of transportation from the two sides.’ The agreement expired on 6 June 1962 during the Sino-Indian war, and the two sides did not renew it. Bilateral ties started to normalise only in the 1990s with the Indian decision in 1988 to abandon its policy of settling ‘territorial issue’ for ‘normalisation of relations’. India There was no reaction from Nepal to the 1954 agreement since Nepal did not have diplomatic relations with China yet at the time. Sino-Indian Agreement of 2005 The Political Parameters and the Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the Sino-Indian Boundary Question is detailed in 11 Articles, which outline the steps to be taken for a Peaceful and Tranquil Border. The agreement was a direct outcome of the Special Representatives mechanism that had been set up through a 2003 agreement. It also incorporated the Confidence Building Measures in Military Field along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Sino-Indian Border Areas signed in 1996.&nbsp; A protocol on Modalities for the Implementation of Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas signed during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s India visit, which stated in Clause 2 of Article 5: ‘Both sides agree to extend in principle to expand the mechanism of border meeting points to include Kibithu Dhamal in the Eastern Sector and Lipulek Pass (Qing La) in the Middle Sector. The precise locations of these border meeting points will be decided upon mutual consultations.’ Nepal’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement in 2005 stating that Nepal had asked China about the issue and the Chinese Embassy clarified that the agreement had nothing to do with Kalapani. This was perhaps the first time that Nepal had objected to the Sino-Indian agreement on Lipulek. King Gyanendra had staged a coup d’état on 1 February 2005, just two months prior to this agreement. The Nepali press voiced criticism of China in particular for disregarding the country’s sentiment.&nbsp; Sino-Indian Agreement of 2015 India and China signed several documents during the state visit of Chinese President XI Jinping to India on 18 September 2011. Number one on the list was: ’Opening a New Route for Indian Pilgrimage (Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China’.&nbsp; The Indian foreign ministry stated: ‘The MoU provides for conducting the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula Pass in Sikkim in addition to the existing Lipulek Pass in Uttarakhand’. On May 15, 2015, China and India issued a Joint Statement during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China. Point 28 under the ‘Trans-border Cooperation’, states that the two sides agreed to ‘hold negotiation on augmenting the list of trades commodities, and expand border trade at Nathu La, Quingla/Lipulek Pass and Sipki La Pass’. Nepal’s objection to the 2015 agreement was stronger than in 2005. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala called up Narendra Modi to express Nepal’s displeasure It was not until 2020 that Nepal’s Foreign Minister disclosed that ‘Nepal had expressed its disagreement in 2015 through separate diplomatic notes addressed to the governments of both India and China … including Lipulek Pass as a bilateral trade route without Nepal’s consent.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250826060824_d4497e2620bba81211d27e427393974877e09006abc26e13055508996e5b29ea.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20250826060824_d4497e2620bba81211d27e427393974877e09006abc26e13055508996e5b29ea" data-rendition-name="original" width="1108" height="1550" loading="lazy" alt="Lipulek dispute explainer"> </figure>  The new political map of India published by the Survey of India in November 2019 that incorporated areas east of the Kali River including Kalapani as Indian territory sparked renewed public, and political, attention to the Mahakali dispute. The Nepal government then countered by formally approving the publication of the new Political and Administrative Map of Nepal including all territories lying to the east of the Mahakali River on May 18, 2020. In June, the House of Representatives unanimously endorsed the second amendment to the Constitution of Nepal to update the country’s new political map in the national emblem. Sino-Indian Consensus of 2024 A 6-point Consensus on Peace and Tranquility on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was agreed on December 18, 2024 between the Special Representative of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, and the Special Representative of the Republic of India, Ajit Doval.&nbsp; India has not denied that this is a consensus, while China made it clear that this was not a Joint Statement. This Consensus is in line with the 2005 agreement, and was agreed during the 23rd round of the Special Representatives talks held after a gap of five years aimed at restoring bilateral ties frozen because of the military standoff in Ladakh. The agreement included: cross-border communication and cooperation, promoting the resumption of pilgrimages by Indians to Xizang, cooperation on crossborder rivers, and trade at the Nathu La Pass. Nepal made no reaction to the statement despite Lipulek being the pilgrimage route for Mansarovar and Kailash.&nbsp; Prabhakar Sharma is a construction engineer and an international border expert who has worked as a survey engineer for the Cameroon-Nigeria border demarcation by the United Nations.