Amid the border row with India, Nepal Parliament on Saturday passed an amendment to revise the country's political map, laying claim over areas of dispute with India. The new map incorporates all the disputed territories—Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh along the border with India.
The House of Representatives opened the discussion on the amendment bill which was put for voting after the deliberations are over, said spokesman at the Parliament Rojnath Pandey.
He said the House has been working to put the bill to vote on Saturday.
The Opposition Nepali Congress and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal endorsed the bill to amend Schedule 3 of the constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new map, sources said.
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The bill will be endorsed through a consensus, a senior minister told PTI.
The bill will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution.
On June 9, the Parliament unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the bill to pave way for endorsing the new map.
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The government on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area.
Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet.
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The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.
Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.
Nepal last month released the revised political and administrative map of the country laying claim over the strategically key areas. India has been maintaining that these three areas belonged to it.
India sternly asked Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims after Kathmandu released the new map.
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli earlier this month said that his government will seek a solution to the Kalapani issue through diplomatic efforts and dialogue on the basis of historical facts and documents.
"We will get back the land occupied by India through holding a dialogue," Oli said while responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday.
(With Agency Inputs)
