India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Commission, Calls 1963 Pact ‘Illegal and Invalid’

Dil Bar Irshad | September 16, 2026 | 10:48 PM IST | Breaking News, India, World | Follow on Google News

India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Commission, Calls 1963 Pact ‘Illegal and Invalid’

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 16 [VoM News]: India on Wednesday rejected the operationalisation of the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission in Islamabad, stating that the mechanism has no legal basis to deal with territories that India considers part of its sovereign territory.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India”. It said Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under what New Delhi describes as illegal and forcible occupation. (DD India)

India also reiterated its position that the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963, under which Pakistan ceded territory in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to China, is “illegal and invalid” and has never been recognised by New Delhi. (Ministry of External Affairs)

The MEA said any boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories was “completely unacceptable” and would not affect India’s sovereignty over Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

India further opposed what it described as attempts to alter the status of the territories or legitimise what it regards as illegal occupation, saying such moves impinge on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The statement came after Pakistan announced that it and China had operationalised the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described the development as a milestone in bilateral relations and said the mechanism would facilitate cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan)

According to Pakistan’s announcement, the inaugural meeting was co-led by Li Ya, Deputy Director General in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, Director General (China) in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

India has previously maintained that Pakistan’s 1963 agreement with China cannot alter its position regarding Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. In an earlier MEA response, the government stated that it had never recognised the agreement and maintained that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. (Ministry of External Affairs)

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.