NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday rejected the newly formed Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, saying Pakistan has no authority to enter into arrangements concerning territories that New Delhi regards as being under its illegal occupation.
Reacting to reports of the commission’s first meeting in Islamabad, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi’s position remained unchanged.
“There is no boundary between Pakistan and China. We reject the so-called Joint Commission, which is without any legal basis,” Jaiswal said.
The commission held its first meeting to discuss cooperation on border management, joint border surveys and trade.
Jaiswal reiterated India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, saying the two Union Territories “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,” he said.
India has consistently rejected the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, under which Pakistan ceded territory in the northern areas of Jammu and Kashmir to China. New Delhi maintains that Pakistan had no authority to enter into such an agreement over territory claimed by India.
“We have never recognised the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement’ of 1963 and have consistently maintained that it is illegal and invalid,” Jaiswal said.
“Instead of engaging in such theatrics, we call on Pakistan to immediately vacate areas under its illegal and forcible occupation,” he added.
India has also opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), arguing that portions of the project pass through Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi said any attempt by Beijing and Islamabad to institutionalise border cooperation involving territories claimed by India would not affect its sovereignty claims.
“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,” Jaiswal said.
India called on Pakistan to withdraw from areas that New Delhi says remain under its “illegal and forcible occupation”, saying the latest development does not alter its longstanding position on the territorial dispute.
(With inputs from PTI)
