Pak-China Pact Illegal: Army Chief Rejects Beijing’s Claim on Shaksgam Valley

India has once again firmly rejected China’s claims over the Shaksgam Valley, with General Upendra Dwivedi reiterating that the 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China is illegal and unacceptable to New Delhi. The Army Chief made it clear that India has never recognised the so-called pact under which Pakistan purportedly ceded the Shaksgam Valley to Beijing.

Speaking on the issue, General Dwivedi underlined India’s long-standing and consistent position, stating that the agreement has no legal validity as Pakistan had no authority to transfer territory that legally belongs to India. His remarks come amid heightened concerns over China’s expanding infrastructure activities in the region, which India considers part of its sovereign territory under illegal occupation.

The Indian government has repeatedly stated that Pakistan illegally handed over nearly 5,180 square kilometres of Indian territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963. New Delhi has maintained that it has never accepted the China–Pakistan boundary agreement and continues to regard it as null and void. Officials have also stressed that such arrangements cannot alter the legal status of the territory.

India’s objections have sharpened in recent months due to reports of large-scale Chinese construction in the Shaksgam Valley as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to Indian assessments, China is building an all-weather road in the region, with significant stretches already completed. New Delhi has warned that such projects risk changing facts on the ground in an area that remains under dispute and is legally Indian territory.

The Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated that India does not recognise the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as it passes through regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that are under Pakistan’s illegal occupation. India has also conveyed to both Islamabad and Beijing that these territories are an integral and inalienable part of the country.

China, however, has dismissed India’s objections, claiming that its construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley are legitimate. Indian officials have countered this narrative, pointing out what they describe as Beijing’s contradictory stance on Kashmir—publicly terming it a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, while simultaneously pursuing strategic projects in occupied areas.

Strategically, the Shaksgam Valley holds immense importance for India. Located close to the Siachen Glacier in the eastern Karakoram range, the valley borders China’s Xinjiang region and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Its proximity to the Karakoram Pass and the Siachen sector gives it critical military relevance, allowing oversight of movements along both the Line of Actual Control with China and the Line of Control with Pakistan.

Historically, the Shaksgam Valley became vulnerable following Pakistan’s occupation of surrounding regions after 1947. In the 1950s, Chinese incursions further complicated the situation, eventually leading to the 1963 agreement under which Pakistan ceded the territory to China despite India’s objections.

Indian authorities have warned that continued infrastructure expansion by China in the region will remain a serious security concern. New Delhi has asserted that it reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity and strategic interests.