Place In News
Shaksgam Valley Dispute
- 14 Jan 2026
- 2 min read
India rejected China’s infrastructure activities in the Shaksgam Valley, termed projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as illegal and invalid, and asserted that the valley is an inseparable part of India.
Shaksgam Valley
- About: The Shaksgam Valley (Trans-Karakoram Tract) is a high-altitude, sparsely populated region in the eastern Karakoram mountain range. It lies north of the Siachen Glacier, a part of the Hunza-Gilgit region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), and borders China’s Xinjiang province to the north.
- Historical Background: Prior to 1947, the region was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir; after the 1947–48 Indo-Pak conflict, Pakistan occupied parts of it and, under the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, ceded the Shaksgam Valley to China.
- India rejects the 1963 agreement as illegal, asserting that Pakistan lacked authority to transfer territory belonging to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
- Current Administration: It is currently administered by China as part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where China has developed infrastructure, including roads linked to CPEC.
- CPEC aims to connect Gwadar Port (Pakistan) with Kashgar (Xinjiang, China), giving China an alternative energy route bypassing the Malacca Strait.
- Strategic and Military Significance: Its proximity to the Siachen Glacier allows oversight of Pakistani positions, while access to the Karakoram Pass enables monitoring of Chinese military movements.
| Read More: External Intervention on Kashmir Issue |
