MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
India has registered its protest with China against their ‘illegal attempts to alter facts’ in connection with Beijing’s construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
China has invested in the construction of military infrastructure in the Shaksgam Valley, reports suggested.
Responding to a question of infrastructure construction in lower Shaksgam Valley in Kashmir by China, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his weekly briefing said, “The Shaksgam Valley is a part of the territory of India. We have never accepted the so-called China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China, and have consistently conveyed our rejection of the same. We have registered our protest with the Chinese side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the ground.”
Thread:
In a significant development, 🇨🇳 road has breached the border at Aghil Pass (4805 m) and entered the lower Shaksgam valley of Kashmir, 🇮🇳 with the road-head now less than 30 miles from 🇮🇳 Siachen
This permanently answers the question of Shaksgam for 🇮🇳
— Nature Desai (@NatureDesai) April 21, 2024
Mr. Jaiswal further said that India reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard the country’s interests.
Shaksgam Valley road construction
The MEA statement comes after recent media reports suggested China’s road breaching the Indian border at Aghil Pass and entered the lower Shaksgam valley of Kashmir, less than 30 miles (48 kilometres) away from Siachen. Satellite images showed the Chinese road approaching Aghil Pass, with construction resuming this month advancing towards areas north of Siachen Glacier.
Shaksgam Valley
The Shaksgam valley in the trans-Karakoram tract, part of PoK, was handed over on a platter by a supine Pakistan to China through an illegal border agreement on March 2, 1963. However, the continuing Chinese occupation of Kashmir’s territory does not find adequate mention in the contemporary discourse surrounding this issue.
China occupies 5,180 square kilometres in the Shaksgam Valley in addition to approximately 38,000 square kilometres in Aksai Chin. China and Pakistan have colluded to obfuscate these facts, even as they brazenly promote the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which runs through parts of Indian territory under their respective occupation.
