India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Commission, Calls It Legally Invalid

India has rejected the newly formed so called  "Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission", stating that Pakistan has no legal authority to enter into arrangements concerning territories that New Delhi considers part of India and currently under Pakistan’s control. The Indian government’s response came after the commission held its first meeting in Islamabad. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi considers the commission to have no legal basis and reiterated India’s longstanding position on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

New Delhi also rejected the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, saying India has never recognised the agreement and considers it illegal and invalid. India said that Pakistan could not legally enter into an agreement involving territory that New Delhi claims as Indian territory. The dispute has particular significance because the Shaksgam Valley was included in the 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China. India has consistently opposed that arrangement and also objects to portions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through territory that New Delhi claims.

Jaiswal said India would reject any attempt by Pakistan and China to alter the status of territories claimed by India or to give legitimacy to what New Delhi describes as illegal occupation. He stressed that such bilateral arrangements would have no bearing on India's stated sovereignty claims over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The episode adds another layer to the complex India-Pakistan-China territorial dispute. While Islamabad and Beijing are pursuing closer cooperation on border management, New Delhi has made clear that it will not recognise arrangements involving territory it claims as its own.

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