New Delhi rejects Pak.-China Boundary Joint Commission, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• India recently rejected the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, stating it lacks legal basis and involves Indian territory under illegal occupation.
• The rejection followed the commission's first meeting in Islamabad.
• India maintains that the 1963 cession of Shaksgam Valley by Pakistan to China is illegal and unacceptable.
• New Delhi also opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) due to its passage through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• India reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India.

Detailed Insights:

• The Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission was established to discuss arrangements related to the border between the two countries.
• India has consistently refused to recognize the China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963, which demarcated their border in the disputed Kashmir region.
• The Shaksgam Valley, historically part of Jammu and Kashmir, was transferred by Pakistan to China under the 1963 agreement, a move India deems unlawful.
• The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aiming to connect China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Gwadar Port.
• India's opposition to CPEC stems from sovereignty concerns as it traverses Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of PoK claimed by India.
• The Indian government views any such joint commission or agreement involving disputed territories as an infringement on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK): Indian territory under Pakistan's administration since the 1947-48 Indo-Pak War, comprising Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
• Shaksgam Valley: A trans-Karakoram tract in PoK that Pakistan ceded to China in 1963 through a boundary agreement.
• China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963: A bilateral agreement between Pakistan and China to demarcate their border, which India does not recognize as it involves disputed territory.
• China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): A collection of infrastructure projects under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connecting China's Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar Port, passing through PoK.