India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Commission, Cites 1963 Pact

India has reiterated its opposition to the Pakistan-China boundary arrangements after Pakistan and China operationalised their Boundary Joint Commission on September 16, 2026.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the commission will provide a framework for cooperation on border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity. The move is part of the broader effort by Islamabad and Beijing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

New Delhi, however, maintains that Pakistan cannot enter into boundary arrangements concerning territory that India claims as part of its sovereign territory.

India has consistently rejected the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the agreement involved Pakistan transferring 5,180 square kilometres of territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China. The Indian government says it has never recognised the agreement and considers it illegal and invalid.

India has also maintained that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of the country. New Delhi has previously objected to China-Pakistan statements and projects involving areas that India says are under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.

The latest development therefore highlights a continuing difference between the positions of India and the Pakistan-China partnership over the territorial status of the areas covered by the 1963 agreement.

While Pakistan and China are presenting the new commission as a mechanism for practical border cooperation, India’s position remains that such arrangements cannot alter its claims over the territory in question.