'There's no Pak-China boundary': India tells Islamabad to drop 'theatrics', vacate occupied territory - The Times of India

**India Refutes Pakistan‑China Joint Boundary Commission, Demands Withdrawal from Occupied Areas**

New Delhi on Friday dismissed the newly‑formed Pakistan‑China Boundary Joint Commission as “illegal, without legal basis and completely unacceptable,” urging Islamabad to “drop the theatrics” and vacate territories that India claims as its own. The commission, announced by Pakistan’s foreign ministry in concert with Beijing, was intended to examine and demarcate the disputed border segments that both nations share with China, notably the region adjoining the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and the areas surrounding the Siachen Glacier. Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, reiterated that there is no recognized “Pak‑China boundary” in the contested zones and that any unilateral moves to re‑map or occupy these lands contravene existing bilateral agreements and United Nations resolutions.

India’s objection stems from long‑standing disagreements over the status of territories that were part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir before the 1947 partition and later became focal points of wars in 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil conflict. While Pakistan maintains that the Line of Control (LoC) is a provisional border subject to final settlement, New Delhi insists that the LAC, as defined by the 1962 Sino‑Indian war cease‑fire line, remains the legitimate demarcation. The joint commission’s proposal to convene technical teams and produce new maps was seen by India as an attempt to legitimize Pakistan’s claims and to bolster China’s strategic foothold along the western Himalayan front, potentially altering the status quo that has underpinned regional stability for decades.

The diplomatic rebuke comes amid heightened tension in South Asia, with both India and China expanding infrastructure projects near their disputed borders and Pakistan seeking to deepen its strategic partnership with Beijing. New Delhi has warned that any further encroachment will be met with “prompt and decisive” measures, including the possible deployment of additional troops and heightened surveillance. International observers have called for restraint, noting that the dispute’s resolution requires multilateral dialogue respecting established treaties, rather than unilateral commissions that risk inflaming an already volatile geopolitical environment.