Kinnaur locals demand reopening of Indo-Tibet Silk Route Trade, Mansarovar Yatra via Shipki La Pass

Namgia (Himachal Pradesh), June 11, 2025 (ANI): Following the launch of border tourism activities at Shipki La by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on June 10, 2025, a long-standing demand among residents of Kinnaur’s border villages to reopen the ancient Indo-Tibet Silk Route trade via Shipki La Pass has resurfaced with renewed intensity. Villagers along the India-Tibet-China border are urging the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate the resumption of the traditional trade route that once connected India with Tibet through Shipki La village on the Chinese side, extending up to the settlement of Tonju in Tibet. Locals are also pressing for opening the route to Kailash Mansarovar via Shipki La, citing it as the shortest and most practical pilgrimage path from India to the sacred lake, located just 92 km from the border. This cross-border economic exchange flourished for centuries, primarily involving livestock, salt, wool, carpets, and daily essentials, until it was disrupted in 1962 due to the Sino-Indian conflict. A brief revival occurred in the 1970s-80s, but the route has remained shut since the COVID-19 pandemic.With infrastructure near-complete on both sides of the border, residents now look towards Delhi and Shimla with hope and urgency.