Nepal’s government has acknowledged that it cannot confirm whether it still possesses the original document of the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, adding a new dimension to the country’s long-running territorial dispute with India. The treaty remains a historically important document in determining the boundary between Nepal and territories administered by British India.
Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told the country’s House of Representatives that the government does not have clear information about whether the original official treaty documents are currently in its possession. Officials have indicated that records relating to historical treaties are believed to be held in Nepal’s National Archives, but their authenticity and status as original documents have not been conclusively established.
The development has attracted particular attention because Nepal continues to assert territorial claims over areas including Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. Kathmandu has argued that these territories lie east of the Kali River and therefore fall within Nepal’s territory under the interpretation it gives to the Sugauli Treaty.
The Sugauli Treaty was signed between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company following the Anglo-Nepalese War. Drafted in 1815 and ratified in 1816, it played a major role in establishing the boundary arrangements between Nepal and British-controlled territories. The treaty consequently became an important historical reference in subsequent discussions over the India-Nepal boundary.
The latest controversy comes at a time when the Lipulekh issue has once again become a sensitive subject in India-Nepal relations. Nepal has objected to the resumption of trade between India and China through Lipulekh Pass, maintaining that the area falls within its territory. India, however, maintains its position regarding the region and has pointed to its long-standing administrative presence there and the history of trade through the pass.
The uncertainty surrounding the original treaty does not by itself determine the present-day boundary or invalidate Nepal’s territorial claims. Modern international boundaries are assessed through multiple forms of historical, legal, administrative and cartographic evidence. However, the inability to confirm the location and authenticity of an original historical treaty has generated renewed scrutiny over the preservation of Nepal’s archival records.
The issue also highlights the broader importance of historical documents in India-Nepal boundary discussions. Earlier questions have been raised in Nepal over the availability of original copies of other important bilateral agreements, including the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
For India and Nepal, the latest development is unlikely to resolve the underlying border disagreement. Instead, it could intensify calls for both sides to examine historical maps, treaty records, administrative documents and other evidence through established bilateral mechanisms.
The episode underscores how documents dating back more than two centuries can continue to influence contemporary geopolitics in the Himalayan region. As discussions over Lipulekh and other disputed areas continue, the status of the original Sugauli Treaty is likely to remain a subject of considerable historical and diplomatic interest.