India Rejects China-Pakistan Boundary Cooperation Concerning Indian Territories
New Delhi — India on Wednesday rejected a boundary joint commission established by China and Pakistan, saying any cooperation between the two countries concerning Indian territories would be “completely unacceptable.”
The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that India has never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 and has consistently maintained that it is illegal and invalid.
“We have seen reports in this regard. 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. The entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India. Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to media questions about the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission.
“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. Any so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories would be completely unacceptable and would have no bearing whatsoever on India’s sovereignty over these territories. Instead of engaging in such theatrics, we call on Pakistan to immediately vacate from areas under its illegal and forcible occupation,” Jaiswal added.
Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the “operationalisation” of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission as a “significant milestone” in relations between the two countries.
Pakistan said the commission would pave the way for greater cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity.
Last month, India urged its partners and other stakeholders to use what it described as the correct nomenclature for Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are very clear that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, are integral and inalienable parts of India. That is the position,” Jaiswal said at the time when asked about foreign media coverage of the region.
“These areas/territories were part of India, are part of India, and will continue to be part of India, and we would urge all our partners and stakeholders that they should reflect the correct nomenclature of the area the way we understand,” he added.
On July 29, the Indian Embassy in the United States objected to a headline used by The New York Times in a report about the region, calling it “misleading and incorrect.”
“Misleading and incorrect headline by The New York Times. There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Pakistan has illegally occupied parts of these territories and is now using violence against the occupied people,” the embassy said in a post on X. (Source: IANS)
