Where is Shaksgam valley and why is it important? All about the fresh India-China friction and how Pakistan is involved
Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, “Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan ‘border agreement’ signed in 1963. We have constantly maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid.” he said. “We also do not recognize the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory under the forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan,” he said.
Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday maintained that India never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan border agreement of 1963 and also did not recognize the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
All about Shaksgam valley
The Shaksgam valley, also known as the Trans Karakoram Highway, is a remote, high-altitude valley located in the north of the Karakoram mountain range. Shaksgam valley lies within the Hunza-Gilgit region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and is a disputed territory. India claimed the sensitive area as Indian territory. In 1963, Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam Valley to China as part of a ‘border agreement’ aimed at resolving border disputes between the two countries.
Located in the northern region, the Shaksgam valley shares borders with the Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the north, the Northern Regions of POK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east. The Shaksgam valley is currently administered by China as part of Xinjiang. However, India has always claimed that the Shaksgam valley was part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (now Ladakh). Pakistan gained control of the region during the 1947-1948 war and later ceded it to China under the 1963 China-Pakistan Agreement.
ALSO READ: Jammu temperature drops to 3.8 degrees, J&K’s winter capital faces nail-biting cold and rainfall is likely soon. Check full IMD forecast
What is the dispute surrounding the Shaksgam valley?
The main debate regarding the Shaksgam valley is who legally has the right to decide the border in the area. In 1963, Pakistan and China signed a border agreement transferring control of the Shaksgam/Trans-Karakoram region to China. India never accepted this ‘border agreement’ and said Pakistan cannot give up territory that India considers as part of J&K.
“Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan ‘border agreement’ signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference last week. he said.ALSO READ: Microsoft’s Bill Gates’ big prediction and ‘bioterrorism weapon’ warning: This single human invention will change society more than anything else
“We also do not recognize the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory under forcible and illegal occupation by Pakistan,” he said at his weekly media briefing. Jaiswal was responding to a question on infrastructure development in China’s Shaksgam Valley.
“The entire Union Territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese officials several times,” he said. “We have continuously protested with the Chinese side against attempts to change the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We also reserve the right to take necessary measures to protect our interests,” he added.
Importance of Shaksgam valley
The location of the Shaksgam valley close to the Karakoram passes and the Siachen region makes it strategically sensitive and important. In 2024, India expressed concerns about Chinese road construction in the Shaksgam valley. India has consistently rejected the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, which sought to cede the Shaksgam region to China and declare the Shaksgam Valley as its own territory.
If China carries out road construction and infrastructure development in the region, India will evaluate this activity in the lands it claims as its own. New Delhi’s concerns stem from China’s plan to build a long all-weather road in the Shaksgam Valley, just a few kilometers from Indian territory. Reports indicate that China has already built around 75 kilometers of the road, which is estimated to be around 10 meters wide.
ALSO READ: Weather in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram: Cold wave grips national capital as IMD issues orange alert; Noida temperatures may drop to 4 degrees Celsius. Check out the full forecast
What does China say now?
In the face of India’s objections, China reaffirmed its territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley after India declared that “Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory”. Reacting to India’s attitude, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at the press conference here that “the region you mentioned belongs to China.”
“China’s construction of infrastructure on its own territory is completely justified. China and Pakistan signed a border agreement in the 1960s and determined the border between the two countries, which is the right of China and Pakistan as sovereign countries,” he said.
On India’s criticism of CPEC, Mao repeated Beijing’s narrative that it was an economic cooperation initiative aimed at promoting local socioeconomic development and improving people’s livelihoods. “The China-Pakistan border agreement and CPEC do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue, and the position remains unchanged,” he said.
(With agency input)
