New Delhi: India on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s move to operationalise a Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, saying the mechanism has no legal basis and that Islamabad has no right to enter into any arrangement concerning territory that India considers its own.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), responding to questions from the media, said India’s position on the issue remained ‘clear and consistent’.

It also reiterated that India does not recognise any boundary arrangement between Pakistan and China concerning Indian territory.

What did Pakistan announce?

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Pakistan and China had operationalised the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission during its inaugural meeting.

Describing the development as a ‘significant milestone’ in bilateral relations, Islamabad said the commission would provide a framework for greater cooperation in border management and related areas.

According to Pakistan, the mechanism would facilitate joint border surveys, smoother trade flows and greater people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of India’s long-standing objections to the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, under which Pakistan ceded territory in the region to China.

Why is India rejecting it?

India said Pakistan has no legal standing to enter into arrangements concerning territory that New Delhi says is under Pakistan’s ‘illegal and forcible occupation’.

The MEA reiterated that India has never recognised the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement and considers it ‘illegal and invalid’.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that any agreement between Pakistan and China concerning territory claimed by India cannot alter India’s sovereignty or territorial claims.

The MEA said attempts to change the status of the territories or legitimise what India describes as an illegal occupation would be unacceptable and would affect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

‘Any so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories would be completely unacceptable,’ the ministry said.

India also maintained that such arrangements would have no bearing on its sovereignty over the territories concerned.

India reiterates position on J&K, Ladakh

The MEA further reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh ‘have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India’.

It also called on Pakistan to immediately vacate the territory under what India describes as its illegal and forcible occupation.

The latest exchange highlights the continuing differences between India, Pakistan and China over territorial claims and boundary arrangements in the region.