22 September :India has strongly objected to the finalisation of a border-related agreement between Pakistan and China covering a disputed mountainous region in the Himalayas. New Delhi maintains that the territory covered by the agreement is an integral part of India and therefore does not recognise any form of border management arrangement or understanding between Pakistan and China concerning the area as legally valid.
Pakistan and China recently signed an agreement concerning the “Pakistan-China Joint Border Commission”. Islamabad described the agreement as an important milestone for strengthening border management, trade and regional connectivity. India, however, immediately rejected the move, saying it had no legal basis.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there is no legitimate border between Pakistan and China in the area concerned. He rejected the so-called joint commission and said India completely opposed the initiative. The areas covered by the commission include the Pakistan-China border region, particularly the Shaksgam Valley.
The Shaksgam Valley, covering approximately 5,180 square kilometres, was transferred by Pakistan to China in 1963. India continues to claim the territory as an integral part of Ladakh. New Delhi says the territory was part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and that Pakistan illegally occupied it before transferring it to China. India therefore argues that Pakistan has no right to enter into agreements concerning the territory.
Pakistan, on the other hand, maintains that Jammu and Kashmir remains a disputed territory and that its 1963 boundary agreement with China was fully valid.
According to Jabin T. Jacob, a professor of international relations at Shiv Nadar University, the latest initiative is not an entirely new arrangement but rather a revival of a provision contained in the 1963 China-Pakistan agreement. He said China is strengthening its border demarcation process, while Pakistan is seeking to institutionalise cross-border movement and exchanges through the initiative.
Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations, told the BBC that the establishment of the joint commission is both practical and political-strategic. He said the initiative is intended to strengthen border security, prevent illegal infiltration and help protect major infrastructure projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Karakoram Highway.
Analysts say the China-Pakistan initiative could further institutionalise the two countries’ positions on the Kashmir issue. While its immediate military implications may be limited, the move has added another layer to the longstanding geopolitical dispute involving India, Pakistan and China.
Source: Information provided and BBC-based reporting.