New Delhi (TIP)- India has lodged a strong protest with China for carrying out construction activities in Shaksgam Valley, which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said was an illegal attempt to alter the situation on the ground.
Shaksgam Valley is a strategically key region that is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “We consider Shaksgam Valley our territory and we have never accepted the so-called China-Pakistan agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China. We have always rejected this and have protested to China not to alter the facts on the ground,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Terming Shaksgam Valley imbroglio as a vexed issue, he said India had the right to take required steps. “We further reserve the right to take necessary measures and will take all possible steps to safeguard our interests. It is our territory. We have been protesting as and when required. We have taken a very strong stand on it,” he underlined. Asked what the prospect of resolution of the standoff on the border in Ladakh was, Jaiswal said these were serious issues and, therefore, were bound to take time. “The next round of engagements will take place soon to take things forward,” he said.
Over the past several years, China has kept up military pressure on India through its incursions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). While this fact has been recognised by the international community, a study by Northwestern University shows that China’s incursions were strategically planned to make a permanent Chinese presence in these areas.
Border transgressions and incursions are well documented in all three sectors of the 3,488-km-long border that India officially shares with China, which has developed military infrastructure and roads in the disputed region, presenting a threat to India.