Pakistan, China activate joint commission for border oversight
Pakistan and China have operationalised a long-pending joint commission to oversee their shared border, marking a major step toward tighter coordination on boundary management, trade, and regional connectivity.
The foreign ministry in Islamabad confirmed in a statement that the inaugural session of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission took place on Wednesday, DAWN reports.
The session was co-chaired by Li Ya, deputy director general of China’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, and Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, director general for China at Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
Describing the operationalisation as a “significant milestone”, the Foreign Office noted that the body will lay the groundwork for expanded cooperation in border management, joint surveys, trade flows, and bilateral people-to-people movement, the Pakistani daily said.
The commission originates from Article 45 of the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System, signed during former Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Islamabad to oversee the implementation of border arrangements.
The institutional framework will handle practical frontier issues, including boundary maintenance and inspections, joint surveys, marker preservation, management of cross-border facilities, and boundary-related incidents.
Its activation provides a regular coordination mechanism for crucial transit routes like the Khunjerab Pass, strengthening trade and logistics ties tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The new panel remains distinct from the Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission created under the Mar 2, 1963 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, which dissolved after completing initial surveys, map preparations, and marker placements.
The 1963 accord, signed in Beijing by former Pakistani foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Chinese counterpart Chen Yi, stipulated that sovereign authorities would reopen boundary talks with China following a resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Unlike the one-off 1963 mandate, the 2013 pact establishes an ongoing management system allowing the joint commission to relocate damaged markers without altering the boundary line.
India rejected the new mechanism on Wednesday, with Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal asserting that New Delhi considers the territory part of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Jaiswal reiterated India's position that no valid boundary exists between Pakistan and China, dismissing the joint commission as devoid of legal basis.
Despite New Delhi's opposition, Islamabad and Beijing view the body as a practical mechanism to manage frontier relations without shifting their broader territorial positions, Dawn said.
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