The India-China dispute over Shaksgam Valley centres on a strategically vital tract of approximately 5,180 square kilometres in the Karakoram range, north of the Siachen Glacier. India maintains that this area forms part of its territory in Jammu and Kashmir, inherited following the princely state's accession in 1947.

Pakistan's occupation of the region after Partition placed it under illegal control until 1963, when Islamabad ceded it to China via a boundary agreement.

India firmly rejects the 1963 China-Pakistan agreement, viewing it as unlawful because Pakistan lacked sovereign rights over the territory it purported to transfer. New Delhi has consistently protested such actions, emphasising that the deal violates its territorial integrity.

The External Affairs Ministry has reiterated that India never accepted the arrangement and reserves the right to safeguard its interests through necessary measures.

China, however, defends its infrastructure projects in the valley, including a 75-kilometre all-weather road completed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, dismissing India's objections as groundless. Beijing asserts effective control since 1963 and claims the activities fall within its sovereign domain. This stance highlights China's selective approach to Kashmir, treating it as a bilateral India-Pakistan issue while consolidating presence in Pakistan-occupied areas.

Currently, China exercises de facto control over Shaksgam Valley, with ongoing developments like roads crossing the Aghil Pass bringing its activities within 50 kilometres of India's Siachen positions at Indira Col. Pakistan's handover ignored India's claims, rooted in historical British Indian boundaries that included the valley under the Mir of Hunza until 1947. No formal physical occupation by India has occurred, leaving the area contested on maps but administered by China.

The valley's proximity to Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, and the Karakoram Pass amplifies its military significance for India. Control here allows oversight of Chinese movements from the north and Pakistani threats from the south, preventing a potential two-front squeeze.

Geo-Strategists warn that China's "salami slicing" tactics, intensified post-Doklam in 2017, now threaten India's defences by enabling northern access to the glacier region.

Pakistan's 1963 decision stemmed from geopolitical opportunism after the 1962 India-China war, aiming to curry favour with Beijing despite earlier Western alignments. The agreement's Article 6 even foresaw reopening boundaries post-Kashmir resolution, underscoring its provisional nature. Yet China has since entrenched its position, building military infrastructure that heightens tensions amid the broader Line of Actual Control disputes.

Recent exchanges in January 2026, following India's protest against Chinese construction, underscore the issue's persistence over a year after the Ladakh disengagement. India's vigilance reflects concerns over the China-Pakistan axis encircling Siachen, complicating its strategic posture. The valley thus remains a flashpoint, blending historical grievances with modern infrastructure rivalries.

Agencies