Pakistan and China have formally launched a Boundary Joint Commission, prompting a strong reaction from India over disputed territory in the Himalayas.
The commission held its first meeting in Islamabad on September 16 and 17. Pakistan said the mechanism will strengthen cooperation on border management, joint surveys, trade and the movement of people. The commission was envisaged under a 2013 Pakistan-China agreement on the boundary management system.
India rejected the move. New Delhi said the commission has no legal basis because it concerns territory that India claims as part of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Why the Shaksgam Valley Matters
A key part of the dispute involves the Shaksgam Valley, a remote area that Pakistan transferred to China under a 1963 boundary agreement.
India has never recognised that agreement. Its government says Pakistan had no authority to make arrangements involving territory that India considers its own.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi’s position remains unchanged. India said there is no recognised Pakistan-China boundary in the disputed territory and rejected the new commission.
Pakistan takes a different position. Islamabad says the 1963 agreement with China remains valid. Pakistani officials also maintain that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally disputed territory and that its final status remains unresolved.
Pakistan and China Strengthen Border Cooperation
For Pakistan and China, the commission provides a formal mechanism for managing their frontier.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the first meeting covered cross-border coordination, movement of goods and people, joint border surveys and wider connectivity. Both sides signed minutes setting out a framework for future cooperation. They also agreed to hold the next meeting in China.
The arrangement also comes as Pakistan and China continue to expand economic links. Their cooperation includes major infrastructure projects connected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The border region is strategically important because it connects Pakistan with China through some of the world’s highest mountain terrain.
Why India Is Concerned
India’s objection goes beyond the question of the commission itself. New Delhi has long opposed Pakistan’s 1963 boundary agreement with China and any arrangements involving territory that India claims.
The latest move therefore touches on a much wider dispute over Jammu and Kashmir and the status of territory administered by Pakistan and claimed by India.
At the same time, India and China have been working to manage tensions along their own disputed Himalayan frontier. That makes developments involving the neighbouring Pakistan-China border especially sensitive.
Still, analysts caution against viewing the new commission as an immediate military development.
The commission’s stated focus is border management, surveys, trade and connectivity. Its first meeting did not announce a change to the military situation along the India-China Line of Actual Control.
A Dispute With Wider Strategic Implications
The new mechanism shows how Pakistan and China are continuing to institutionalise cooperation along their shared frontier despite India’s objections.
For Pakistan, the commission reinforces its long-standing position on its boundary agreement with China. For India, the arrangement raises concerns about what New Delhi considers its territorial sovereignty.
The disagreement is therefore about more than maps or border administration. It is also connected to the broader strategic relationship between Pakistan, China and India.
For now, Pakistan and China plan to continue the commission’s work. India has made clear that it does not recognise arrangements that it says affect territory under its claim.
