Satellite imagery indicates that China is constructing a road in a region of Kashmir that it controls. The road is being built in the Shaksgam Valley, which is a part of Azad Kashmir that was ceded to China in 1963.
It originates from an extension of Highway G219 in China’s Xinjiang province and disappears into the mountains approximately 50 kilometers north of India’s northernmost point, Indira Col, located in the Siachen Glacier—an area known as the world’s highest battlefield. India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has visited this forward area twice since March.
The claim is based on analysis of satellite images conducted by India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team, using data captured by the European Space Agency, revealing that the initial pathway of the road was established between June and August of the previous year.
Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, the former commander of the Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps responsible for overseeing Kargil, Siachin Glacier, and Eastern Ladakh, asserts that this road is entirely unlawful, and India should voice its diplomatic objections to China’s actions.
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The region in question, known as the Trans-Karakoram Tract, spans an area of approximately 5,300 square kilometers. It was captured by Pakistan during the 1947 war and subsequently transferred to China as part of a bilateral boundary agreement signed in 1963. However, India does not recognize this agreement.
India’s apprehensions are additionally fueled by reports of increased military collaboration in the area.
In 2021, Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan province revealed intentions to construct a new road that would connect Muzaffarabad to Mustagh Pass, situated on the Pakistan border with the Shaksgam Valley.
According to the report, this road would be linked to Yarkand in Xinjiang, suggesting that it may traverse the Shaksgam Valley to connect with China’s national highway G219.
