'Illegal': Army Chief General Dwivedi's Big Statement On Chinese Activity In Kashmir's Shaksgam Valley

New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday reiterated India's territorial stance on the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the 1963 agreement between China and Pakistan regarding the valley is "illegal". This comes after China claimed ownership of the territory.

While addressing an annual press conference in New Delhi, General Dwivedi said, “As far as the Shaksgam Valley is concerned, India considers 1963 agreement between Pakistan and China as illegal.” Regarding the infrastructure work of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in the Valley, Dwivedi said, “We don't approve any such activity in the valley…We do not accept it and consider it an illegal action being carried out by the two nations." 

The statement comes after Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning rejected India's claim to the Shaksgam Valley, adding, that it is fully justified for China to conduct CPEC infrastructure construction on its "own territory". The spokesperson characterised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a purely economic and social initiative designed to improve local living standards. Beijing further emphasised that neither the CPEC nor the 1963 border agreement alters China’s long-standing, neutral stance on the Kashmir dispute.

The Shaksgam Valley, a remote valley in the Karakoram range, borders Xinjiang Province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the north, the Northern Areas of POJK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.

Earlier, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had clearly stated that the Shaksgam Valley is an Indian territory. He added, “We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor either, which passes through Indian territory, which is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan.”

‘LAC Needs Constant Vigilance’

Army Chief General Dwivedi stated that the Line of Actual Control needs “constant vigilance”. He stressed that there is a sense of urgency and a sense of acceptance from both Indian and Chinese sides to keep the borders as calm and quiet as possible.

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