India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Commission, Tells Islamabad to Drop 'Theatrics' | GRAVITAS

For decades, Pakistan and China have been illegally occupying Indian territory.

Reigniting tensions with India further, both nations activated a long-pending joint mechanism for managing their de facto border.

This comes even as both countries officially don't share a border.

Let's jog your memory back to 1963.

Back then, Pakistan and China signed a so-called boundary agreement.

Under this pact, Pakistan illegally ceded five thousand one hundred and eighty square kilometres of Shaksgam Valley to China.

50 years later, both sides signed an agreement on a boundary management system for managing the already demarcated boundary.

Last month, the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission was formally operationalised.

The first meeting of this commission was held in Islamabad.

According to Pakistan, it set the stage for enhanced cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity.

Now, India categorically rejected the legality of this commission and stressed that the 1963 Pakistan-China pact in itself is illegal and invalid.

The Ministry of External Affairs added, and I am quoting it, "Any so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories would be completely unacceptable and would have no bearing whatsoever on India's sovereignty over these territories".

India also called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Now, the significance of Shaksgam Valley cannot be understated.

It is situated in a sensitive area bordering China's Xinjiang province.

It lies to the north of the Karakoram Range and was illegally occupied by Pakistan after independence.

But on the whole, what is the purpose of this new boundary commission formed by Pakistan and China?

Retired Major General Sudhakar Jee decoded this while speaking to WION.

He said, "So by going in for this particular commission, both the countries, apart from the trade flows, are going to facilitate border activities, exchange of police, information, and intelligence. Also, this will facilitate and enable China to mobilise its People's Liberation Army through this pass into Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir."

According to this senior defence expert, the danger is clear, as China has already infiltrated thousands of soldiers into the illegally occupied territory of Gilgit-Baltistan.

He advocated a multi-pronged approach, including raising the matter at international forums.

The geopolitical expert urged India to not only highlight how the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor passes through illegally occupied territory, but also to negotiate directly with China to reclaim the strategic Shaksgam Valley.