Nepal parliament to vote on controversial map today

Nepal's parliament is set to vote on Saturday on a new map of its border with India, an official said on Thursday, underlining the Himalayan nation's determination to press ahead with the controversial decisionthat has strained ties with India.

The map row broke after India's defence minister inaugurated a road till Lipulekh which Nepal says is its own territory. It was followed by Nepal FM Pradeep Kumar Gyawali meeting Indian envoy to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Nepali Foreign Ministery and ruling party Nepal Communist Party issued a strongly worded release protesting the new road built by India that will reduce the time for Indian pilgrims to go for Mansarovar Yatra in Tibet, China. It was followed by a protest by India who reminded Kathmandu that it is Indian territory.

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The government has tabled the new map in parliament, seeking to amend the constitution and remove the old version.

"A house meeting has been scheduled for Saturday when the amendment is expected to be debated and put to vote," parliamentary official Dashrath Dhamala reportedly told.

Nepal's Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli had earlier said he has sought talks with India to seek to resolve the dispute over the small stretch of land, which includes the areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani.

"We have told (them) that we want to resolve this through diplomatic talks ... And the solution is that our land should be returned to us," Oli said in parliament on Wednesday.

There was no immediate comment from India on Oli's latest statement.

But New Delhi rejected Nepal's map when it was published in May, calling it a "unilateral act" that was not based on historical facts or evidence.