“Pakistan–China agreement over the Shaksgam Valley is illegal”

• India’s Army Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi makes clear statement against the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

• Earlier the Ministry of External Affairs had formally opposed the project

New Delhi – “India unequivocally considers the 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China concerning the Shaksgam Valley to be illegal. India does not recognise or approve of any activity being carried out under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in this region,” stated Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi. He emphasised that India views these actions as a jointly executed illegal act by Pakistan and China. Four days earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had reiterated the same stand.

Earlier, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta had also categorically rejected China’s claim over the Shaksgam Valley. He asserted that Kashmir under Pakistan’s occupation is an inseparable and integral part of India. Whatever agreement Pakistan may have entered with China is null and void from India’s perspective. China must understand that its expansionist ambitions are futile. This is not India of 1962; this is India of 2026. Any such aggressive actions will be retaliated.

Strategic importance of the Shaksgam Valley

The Shaksgam Valley is situated in the northern region of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies within the Karakoram mountain range and is located to the northeast of Siachen. Though an inseparable part of India, Pakistan illegally ceded this territory to China in 1963 from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India had rejected this agreement, as the region is unquestionably a part of Jammu and Kashmir in India.

The Shaksgam Valley is located close to the India–China–Pakistan tri-junction, making it strategically crucial. Under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, China has undertaken extensive infrastructure development in this region. As part of these activities, China is constructing an all-weather road, of which an estimated 75-kilometre-long and 10-metre- wide stretch has already been completed.

Editorial Perspective

Repeated statements of this nature from India had no tangible impact on the ground in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Mere verbal opposition will not suffice; decisive action is the need of the hour. When will India realise the truth ?