Is China Building A Road In Occupied Kashmir Near Siachen?

New Delhi: If latest satellite pictures are an indication, China could be building a road in a part of illegally occupied Kashmir close to the Siachen Glacier, reported India Today.

Satellite images captured by European Space Agency and reviewed by India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team, show a road in Shaksgam Valley — a part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) ceded to China in 1963 — branching out from an extension of G219 Highway in China’s Xinjiang and disappearing into mountains at a place which is approximately 50 kilometres north of India’s northernmost point — Indira Col in Siachen Glacier.

The road’s basic trail was laid between June and August last year.

The Chinese road passes through Aghil Pass, which used to India’s frontier with Tibet before 1947.

“This road is totally illegal and India must register its diplomatic protest with the Chinese,” Lt Gen. Rakesh Sharma, former commander of Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps which is responsible for manning Kargil, Siachin Glacier and Eastern Ladakh, told India Today.

‘Nature Desai’, a user on social media platform X, first pointed out the construction, which is a potential security threat to India, as the road lies in Trans-Karakoram Tract – a region which is historically a part of Kashmir and claimed by India.

Even the latest official map, published by the Central government after abrogation of Article 370, shows this region as Indian territory.

Lt Gen. Sharma believes that Chinese roads in Shaksgam Valley — situated at a height of about 4,500 metres — could be used for transporting minerals, especially uranium allegedly mined from Gilgit Baltistan, to Xinjiang.

However, he advised that a constant vigil be maintained to ensure these roads are not used for military manoeuvres by Pakistan and China’s armies.