evidence: The Shaksgam Valley in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, was recently in the news following reports that China’s road building efforts have now brought it to within 48 km of the northern part of the Siachen Glacier. The glacier has been held by India since 1984 and the closer the Chinese come, the greater India’s concern. The Shaksgam Valley was handed over by Pakistan to China in 1963, an act which India regards as illegal since this is Indian territory. This essay aims to provide a rudimentary analysis to elucidate the situation in the Shaksgam Valley and its implications for India’s strategic calculations. The Shaksgam Valley measures around 5,163-sq km. Bearing the same name is the Shaksgam River, a tributary of the Yarkand River, boasting a greater number of glaciers feeding it compared to the headstream of the Yarkand. Situated between the western Karakorams, traditionally dominated by the Hunza of Kashmir, and the Kun Lun Range, serving the frontiers of Khotan, the Shaksgam Valley essentially constitutes no man’s land. Positioned just south of the Aghil Range, a minor mountain range nestled within the Trans Karakoram region between the imposing Kunlun and Karakoram ranges, Shaksgam holds strategic significance.