Why is it in the news?
- India has voiced its objection to China’s construction of a road into the lower Shaksgam Valley in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).
More about the news
- The Shaksgam Valley, also known as the Trans Karakoram Tract, is situated in the Hunza-Gilgit region of POK and is a disputed territory claimed by India but controlled by Pakistan.
- This valley shares borders with the Xinjiang Province of China to the north, the Northern Areas of POK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.
- Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963, following the India-China war, through the China Pakistan Boundary Agreement.
- India has consistently rejected the China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 and has not accepted the transfer of Shaksgam Valley to China.