India protests Chinese road construction in PoK valley

• India has registered its protest with Beijing against China’s “illegal attempts” to “alter facts on the ground” in the Shaksgam valley of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which faces the Siachen glacier.

Key Highlights:

• The Shaksgam valley is a part of the territory of India, MEA said.
• India never accepted the so-called China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China.
• Recent satellite pictures indicate that China is building a road into the lower Shaksgam valley.
• The Siachen glacier is an Indian territory wedged between China and Pakistan.
• The 2020 standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh has made the control of Siachen even more critical for India.
• China has undertaken a massive build-up and deployment along the Line of Actual Control threatening Indian positions in Depsang and Daulat Beg Oldie.

Prelims Takeaway:

• Shaksgam Valley
• Siachin glacier