🛡️ NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT

“We Do Not Accept Any Activity”: Gen Upendra Dwivedi Rejects China’s Shaksgam Claims

NEW DELHI: In a powerful and unambiguous message ahead of the 78th Army Day, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi has officially rejected China’s recent territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley. The General reiterated that India considers the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement—under which Pakistan ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory—to be illegal and invalid.

“We do not approve of any activity in Shaksgam Valley. The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. We reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests.”
— General Upendra Dwivedi, Army Chief

This forceful statement comes in direct response to Beijing’s recent defense of infrastructure projects in the region, which China claims as part of its sovereign territory and the broader China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). General Dwivedi emphasized that India has never recognized the CPEC as it cuts across Indian territory under illegal occupation.

Key Takeaways from the Briefing:

  • 1963 Pact Refuted: India maintains that Pakistan had no legal authority to cede the Shaksgam Valley to Beijing.
  • Infrastructure Push: Recent reports of Chinese road construction in the valley are viewed by New Delhi as a threat to the strategic Siachen Glacier.
  • Strategic Alert: The Army Chief signaled a “growing strategic alertness,” with forces positioned to respond to any ground-reality alterations.
  • CPEC 2.0: India has formally lodged protests against the “unlawful” joint statements by China and Pakistan regarding new corridor projects.

The General’s remarks underscore a hardening of India’s stance on the northern borders. While noting that both sides are making efforts to increase trust and keep the Line of Actual Control (LAC) calm, he made it clear that sovereignty is non-negotiable.