India on Wednesday rejected the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, saying the body has no legal basis and asserting that Pakistan cannot enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its “illegal and forcible occupation”.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ response came hours after the so-called “Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission” held its inaugural meeting in Islamabad to discuss cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity.
India has long maintained that Pakistan is illegally occupying parts of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir following the 1947-48 war. New Delhi has also opposed the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, under which Pakistan ceded parts of Jammu and Kashmir to China, and has objected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, referring to the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, 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”, Jaiswal said. “Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation,” he added.
Jaiswal said India has “never recognised the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement' of 1963” and has consistently maintained that it is “illegal and invalid”.
"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.
He added that any "so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories" would be completely unacceptable and 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 said.
His remarks came after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry posted about the inaugural meeting of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission on social media and described it as a “significant milestone” in bilateral relations.
Pakistan said the two countries had operationalised the Joint Commission for “enhanced cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity”.
The inaugural meeting was held at Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry in Islamabad and 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.
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