KATHMANDU, MAY 4 Nepal has formally objected to both India and China over the launch of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Lipulekh Pass, asserting the territory as Nepali soil - only for India to dismiss the claims as unilateral, unjustified, and without historical basis. The diplomatic exchange unfolded after India's Ministry of External Affairs announced on April 30 the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2026, scheduled between June and August, routing ten batches of 50 pilgrims each through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand into Tibet. Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with a formal statement on Sunday, reaffirming that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani - territories lying east of the Mahakali River - have been an integral part of Nepal since the Sugauli Treaty of 1816. The MoFA said it had conveyed its position and concerns to both India and China through diplomatic channels, and reiterated its longstanding demand that India refrain from any activities in the area, including road construction, border trade, and pilgrimage operations. It also confirmed that China had been officially informed of Nepal's claim over the Lipulekh region. India, however, rejected Nepal's objection. The Ministry of External Affairs of India, in a statement on the same evening, said Lipulekh Pass had served as a yatra route since 1954 and that the pilgrimage through this corridor had been conducted for decades. 'This is not a new development,' the spokesperson said, adding that India has consistently held Nepal's territorial claims to be neither justified nor grounded in historical fact, calling any enlargement of such claims unilateral and untenable. India said it remained opened to constructive dialogue on outstanding boundary issues through diplomacy. Nepal's foreign ministry stood its ground, stating that historical treaties, facts, maps, and evidence unambiguously support its position, and reaffirming the government's commitment to resolving the dispute through diplomatic means - in keeping with the spirit of the two countries' longstanding friendship.