‘Whole of PoK is ours’: Ladakh LG Kavinder Gupta dismisses China’s Shaksgam Valley claims | WATCH

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta on Tuesday issued a stern dismissal of China’s territorial claims over the Shaksgam valley, declaring that the entirety of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is sovereign Indian land.

Gupta’s remarks come in response to Beijing’s assertion on Monday that its infrastructure projects in the Shaksgam valley are “beyond reproach.” The Shaksgam valley, a strategic tract of 5,180 square kilometres, was illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963, an arrangement India has long deemed invalid.

“The whole of (Pakistan-occupied) Kashmir is ours. We do not know what Pakistan has traded with China. China should understand that nothing will be achieved through its expansionist policy,” Gupta told reporters in Jammu. “India is capable. It is not the India of 1962, it is the India of 2026. Any such attempts will be foiled. The Ministry of External Affairs is taking cognisance of it.”

The Lieutenant Governor emphasised that the 1994 Parliament resolution remains the definitive position on the region’s status. He cautioned against any provocative rhetoric that challenges India's sovereign claim over PoK and noted that China’s history of expansionism, including past claims on Arunachal Pradesh, would meet with firm resistance.

Criticism of Pakistan and Military Support

Gupta also levelled sharp criticism at Islamabad, accusing the Pakistani government of compromising its sovereignty through "questionable dealings" with China. He alleged that Pakistan has failed its citizens, specifically citing reported military atrocities and unrest in Balochistan, Sindh, and Karachi. “Pakistan is a state kept on sale. It has no concern for its sovereignty or its own people,” he remarked.

The Lieutenant Governor expressed strong support for the Indian Army following a recent update from General Upendra Dwivedi regarding "Operation Sindoor", the ongoing military campaign launched in response to the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. “The entire country stands with the Army. The Army chief has given a responsible statement, and I welcome it,” Gupta said.

Ladakh’s Development and Budgetary Growth

Addressing internal critics within Jammu and Kashmir who have suggested unrest in Ladakh, Gupta rejected those claims as baseless. He highlighted that the Union Territory has seen a massive surge in central funding, with its annual budget growing from ₹150 crore in the past to approximately ₹6,000 crore today.

“I want to convey to those leaders to mind their own business. This is not the Ladakh of the past... Ladakhis are united, fully nationalistic, and they fully support the government in all development work,” he added.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated on Friday that it reserves the right to take necessary measures to protect its interests in the Shaksgam valley, maintaining that all construction activities there by China are illegal interventions on Indian soil.

With inputs from PTI