"It is our territory": India registered protest with China on illegal road-building in Shaksgam Valley

New Delhi: India said it has registered its protest with China against the road-building activity being undertaken in Shaksgam Valley, a part of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir that Islamabad ceded to Beijing in 1963, and also asserted that it is part of Indian territory.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, answering a question on the infrastructure development being undertaken by China in the area, said: “We have registered our protest with the Chinese side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the ground.”

He added: “We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests”, without elaborating.

He said India has taken note of the activities being undertaken there, and added “We maintain it is our territory.”

“We have never accepted the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China and have consistently conveyed our rejection of the same.

“We have registered our protest with the Chinese side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the ground. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interest,” he said.

His statement comes following reports that say, citing satellite pictures, that China is building a road in Shaksgam valley, close to the Siachen Glacier.

The Shaksgam Valley or the Trans Karakoram Tract is part of Hunza-Gilgit region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). It borders China’s Xinjiang Province to the north, the Northern Areas of POK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.