Latest map is accurate, says India to Nepal's objection

New Delhi (IANS) With Nepal strongly objecting to India's latest official map over the depiction of Kalapani area, India on Thursday said the map "accurately depicts the sovereign territory of India" and has not revised the boundary with the neighbour.

"The new map has in no manner revised our boundary with Nepal. The boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is ongoing under the existing mechanism," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar at a briefing here.

"We reiterate our commitment to find a solution through dialogue in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations," he said, and added that both sides should "guard against vested interests trying to create differences between the two countries".

Nepal's objections came after the Indian Home Ministry released the political map of India, showing Kalapani within Indian borders. The map was released after the creation of the new Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

"The Nepal government firmly believes that the Kalapani is a part of Nepal," read a press statement issued by Nepal's foreign ministry.

It said that "any unilateral actions along the Nepal-India border will be unacceptable" to the Nepal government since the foreign secretaries of the two countries have already been assigned by the Nepal-India Joint Commission to find a solution on the unresolved border disputes in consultation with the border experts, according to Nepali media reports.