India rejects Pakistan-China Joint Boundary Commission ‘which has no legal basis’

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. File | Photo credit: ANI

India on Wednesday (Sep 16, 2026) rejected the “so-called” Joint Boundary Commission set up by Pakistan and China, saying the body has no legal basis to decide on arrangements regarding Indian territory under illegal occupation.

New Delhi’s reaction came after the first meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Boundary Commission in Islamabad.

Our response to media inquiries on the so-called Pakistan-China Joint Border Commission ⬇️

🔗 https://t.co/i3x1x8eluCpic.twitter.com/Nt6QfhHqjA

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEEAIndia) September 16, 2026

India has consistently maintained that Pakistan’s handover of certain territories, such as the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963, was illegal and unacceptable.

New Delhi has also opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “Our stand on this matter is clear and consistent. There is no border between Pakistan and China. We reject the so-called Joint Commission which has no legal basis,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Commission on the Boundary.

The entire Union Territory of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh “was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”, he said.

“We have never recognized the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Border Agreement’ of 1963 and we keep saying that it is illegal and invalid,” Jaiswal said.

The spokesman added: “We strongly oppose and reject any attempt to change the status of these occupied territories or to legitimize the illegal occupation, which violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “Any so-called border cooperation between China and Pakistan regarding Indian territories would be totally unacceptable and would have no bearing on India’s sovereignty over those territories,” he said.

“Instead of indulging in such a theatre, we call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate the areas under its illegal and violent occupation,” Jaiswal said.

Published – 16 Sep 2026 23:43 IST