'No legal basis, completely unacceptable': India rejects 'so-called' Pakistan-China boundary joint commission

India on Wednesday rejected a boundary joint commission created by China and Pakistan, saying the body has no legal basis and that Islamabad cannot finalise arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal occupation.

India has “never recognised the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement' of 1963” and has consistently maintained that it is “illegal and invalid”, said MEA.The external affairs ministry outlined India’s position hours after the so-called “Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission” held its first meeting in Islamabad to discuss enhanced cooperation in border management, joint border surveys and trade.

India has long accused Pakistan of occupying parts of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir since the 1947-48 war. India has also accused Pakistan of illegally ceding territories such as Aksai Chin and Shaksgam Valley to China.

New Delhi has also opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Also Read | India protests Pakistan warship collision: From 3-nautical-mile rule to advance notice, what the 1991 pact says External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission and said: “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 and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India”, he said.

“Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation,” he added. India has “never recognised the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement' of 1963” and has consistently maintained that it is “illegal and invalid”, Jaiswal said, referring to the understanding whereby Pakistan ceded parts of Jammu and Kashmir to China.

Also Read | India, China must be sensitive to each other's ‘core issues’, PM Modi told Xi Jinping at BRICS “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.

Any “so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories” will be completely unacceptable and have “no bearing whatsoever on India's sovereignty over these territories”, he pointed out.

Also Read | MHA declares Shahzad Bhatti Network a terrorist organisation under UAPA “Instead of engaging in such theatrics, we call on Pakistan to immediately vacate from areas under its illegal and forcible occupation,” Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal’s comments followed social media posts by Pakistan’s foreign ministry that described the meeting of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission as a “significant milestone” for bilateral relations. It said the two sides had operationalised the Joint Commission for “enhanced cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people to people connectivity”.

The inaugural meeting of the commission, held at the foreign ministry in Islamabad, was co-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.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years.

He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine.

Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack.

As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest.

He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More