India on Wednesday rejected the boundary joint commission formed by China and Pakistan, saying the body has no legal basis. New Delhi also said Pakistan cannot make any arrangements concerning Indian territory that remains under its illegal occupation.
The External Affairs Ministry issued India’s position shortly after the so-called “Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission” held its first meeting in Islamabad. The meeting focused on improving cooperation in border management, conducting joint border surveys, boosting trade flows and strengthening people-to-people connectivity.
India has consistently maintained that Pakistan occupies parts of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir following the 1947-48 war. New Delhi has also objected to Pakistan’s transfer of territories, including the Shaksgam Valley, to China. India has further opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) because part of the project passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s position on the issue remains unchanged.
“Our position on this matter is clear and consistent. There is no boundary between Pakistan and China. We reject the so-called Joint Commission, which is without any legal basis.”
India Rejects China-Pakistan Arrangements Over Indian Territory
Jaiswal said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India”. He added that Pakistan has no authority to make arrangements involving Indian territory that it occupies.
“Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation,” he said.
India has also refused to recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963. Jaiswal said New Delhi has consistently considered the agreement “illegal and invalid”. The agreement involved Pakistan ceding parts of Jammu and Kashmir to China.
“We resolutely oppose and reject any attempts to alter the status of these occupied territories or legitimise illegal occupation, impinging on India's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Jaiswal said.
He further said any “so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories” would be unacceptable to New Delhi. Such cooperation would have “no bearing whatsoever on India's sovereignty over these territories”, he said.
India Calls on Pakistan to Vacate Occupied Areas
Jaiswal also directly called on Pakistan to withdraw from areas that India considers to be under its illegal occupation. “Instead of engaging in such theatrics, we call on Pakistan to immediately vacate from areas under its illegal and forcible occupation,” Jaiswal said.
His comments came after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry posted about the first meeting of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission on social media.
Pakistan described the meeting as a “significant milestone” in its relations with China. It said both sides had operationalised the Joint Commission to expand cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity.
China-Pakistan Commission Holds First Meeting
The inaugural meeting took place at Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry in Islamabad. The meeting was jointly led by Li Ya, deputy director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs in China’s Foreign Ministry, and Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, director general (China) in Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The commission’s first meeting has drawn a strong response from India, which maintains that Pakistan cannot enter into agreements or arrangements concerning territories that New Delhi considers part of India.
