NEW DELHI: India on Thursday lodged a strong protest with China for carrying out construction activities in the
Shaksgam valley
and called it an “illegal’ attempt to alter the situation on the ground.
Ministry of external affairs (
MEA
) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated the claim that Shaksgam valley is a part of India and New Delhi never accepted the so-called China-Pakistan boundary pact of 1963 through which Islamabad “unlawfully’ attempted to cede the area to Beijing.
“The Shaksgam Valley is a part of the territory of India,” Jaiswal said.
“We have consistently conveyed our rejection of the same. We have lodged a complaint with the Chinese authorities regarding their illegal actions to change the situation on the ground, as stated by Jaiswal during his regular media briefing.
“We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests,” he said.
China has made investments in building military infrastructure in the Shaksgam Valley, which could potentially become a military threat to Indian forces in Ladakh in the future.
In recent years, China has maintained military pressure on India by making incursions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Border violations and unauthorized entries are well recorded in all three sectors of the 3,488 kilometers long border that India officially shares with China.
The reference here is to the construction of military infrastructure and roads by China in the Shaksgam Valley, which is a trans-Karakoram tract that was ceded by Pakistan under the terms of the 1963 Boundary Agreement.
Moreover, the concert between China and Pakistan along the border in the Karakoram region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (spanning over 590 kilometers) infringes upon India’s historical and legal claims in the region.
( with input from agencies)
