Delhi: India has once again firmly asserted its territorial claim over the Shaksgam Valley, with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi terming the decades-old Pakistan-China boundary arrangement as invalid and unacceptable. Speaking to reporters ahead of Army Day, the Chief of Army Staff made it clear that any construction or infrastructure activity carried out by China in the region raises serious concerns for India.
General Dwivedi underlined that New Delhi does not recognise the 1963 agreement signed between Pakistan and China, maintaining that Pakistan had no authority to negotiate over the territory. According to him, developments taking place in the Shaksgam Valley cannot be viewed in isolation and directly affect India’s sovereignty claims.
“The Government of India’s position is unambiguous. The agreement in question has no legal standing for us, and therefore activities being undertaken in that area are a matter of concern,” the Army Chief said, adding that the Ministry of External Affairs has already conveyed India’s stand at the diplomatic level.
He also reiterated that India has not accepted the joint statements issued by Beijing and Islamabad in relation to the expanded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0), which includes references to projects in disputed regions.
China, however, has dismissed India’s objections. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry recently stated that the Shaksgam Valley falls within Chinese territory and that Beijing is within its rights to carry out infrastructure development there. The spokesperson further argued that the boundary settlement with Pakistan was a bilateral decision taken by two sovereign nations in the 1960s.
